Faro Council has assured the public that the savage pruning of some of the oldest trees in Alameda João de Deus park is, "technically correct and necessary."
Nature party, PAN, criticised the scenario as one of, "devastation, unfortunately caused by human action."
According to the Council, there was concern over the weight of some of the branches, large branches rubbing on built structures, root problems and the fact that some of the branches are rotten, which it blames on previous bad selection of trees many years ago.
This is a "bad legacy," which requires "different interventions" from specialised services, said Faro’s mayor, Rogério Bacalhau.
In Alameda João de Deus park, many of the treated trees are "extremely aged, susceptible to bad weather, disease and rot," so to avoid removing them completely, the work has been carried out to, "contain the risk of falling branches and, thus, safeguarding people," said the mayor.
The Council has pruned about 500 trees in recent months but those in the much loved park have come under especial criticism.
Comments
I thought it had been butchered far too severely to survive but it grew back to virtually it's previous glory within a year.
It has needed a repeat of the treatment since.
Everything grows like Billy Stink in the Algarve.