“They messed up!” », says Florence Berthout, the mayor (Horizons) of the 5th arrondissement of Paris. An expression full of meaning when we know that the councilor is targeting City agents who this week cut down seven trees on rue Claude-Bernard, planted a few weeks earlier.
These seven hackberry trees, an endemic variety, had replaced as many Hungarian oaks, planted in March 2024 and which had only survived a few weeks. “I was surprised at the time to see this type of tree,” recalls Florence Berthout. Were we sure they could acclimatize well? It suits me very well if we use different species, but on condition that we have verified that they are resistant and that we maintain a certain aesthetic. »
A “very priority” subject
During the week, the latter protested over X of the felling of these seven trees. “I tried to understand what could have happened, but I got no answers. So I decided to tweet about it. When I rant, it's on subjects that seem important to me. And this is a very priority,” said the mayor, who asked for an explanation for this “chainsaw massacre.”
When contacted, the City of Paris explained that “the news (of the replacement of the oaks by other trees) was unfortunately not transmitted to the team of agents who manage the trees in this sector”. Thus, “the service in charge of tree management (…) carried out (their) felling”, continues the municipality, which specifies that the profession of the agents concerned “is different from that of silvicultural expert”.
-Thinking that the newly planted trees, “dormant and leafless during this winter period”, were oaks that had been dead for several months, the agents decided to cut them down. The City speaks of an “extremely regrettable and completely unique incident”. She adds that a “strict check” of the databases is underway “so that this incident remains an isolated case”. On the Data Paris data site, the felling of these oaks is not mentioned and these trees are not among the plants to be felled soon.
If new trees have to be replanted in rue Claude Bernard, Florence Berthout is not upset. “The problem is the piloting!” You have to supervise, check… There is something called the telephone. We receive totally contradictory injunctions on tree management,” she regrets, taking the example of Place de la Contrescarpe, where trees were planted before being removed and replaced by others.
“This is indicative of a general problem and inconsistent management. There is no pilot on the plane. When you want to vegetate, you have to see a service that tells us to connect with another, then another… It's crazy! », scathes the mayor of the Fifth, who intends to submit a wish to request an external audit of the City of Paris service for “more consistency and clarity”.
