Pruning urban trees is essential for maintaining the safety and health of cities. In Spain, municipalities dedicate significant resources to this task, as demonstrated by data from Córdoba, where over 10.000 pruning operations have been carried out in just six months.
The City Council of Córdoba has released the results of its tree pruning plan for the first half of the year, with figures that reflect consistent and meticulous work. The work was carried out following European arboricultural standards, guaranteeing the quality of the cuts and the care of the trees.
More than 10.000 performances in Córdoba
In total, the Parks and Gardens Department carried out 10.339 pruning operations in the city's streets and green spaces during the first six months of the year. Of these, 9.609 were interference pruning, 192 were formative pruning, 169 were safety pruning, and 59 were restructuring pruning. In addition, 310 palm trees were pruned in various locations throughout the municipality.
By district, the South has seen the highest volume of work with 3.108 interventions , followed by the Southeast with 2.280 and the Northwest with 1.220. Next are the South West (1.008), Central (853), North West (572), East (573), East Peri-urban (441), and North Sierra (284). To carry out these tasks, the City Council has eight pruning teams, each composed of two people, for a total of 16 personnel dedicated exclusively to this work.
Types of pruning and objectives
Interference pruning, the most common type, involves selectively cutting branches that interfere with houses, road signs, or streetlights . Only branches up to five centimeters in diameter are pruned to avoid damaging the tree and causing rot. Restructuring pruning, on the other hand, is applied to trees damaged by storms or previous improper management.
Formative pruning is carried out on young trees to achieve a balanced crown and well-distributed branches. Safety pruning aims to eliminate risks to people, vehicles, and infrastructure , whether due to tree diseases or adverse weather conditions. These four types of intervention are performed following precise technical criteria.
European standards and other cities
All the work carried out in Córdoba has been done in accordance with the European standard published by the TeST project working group, in collaboration with the European Arboriculture Council. The Delegate for Infrastructure, Miguel Ruiz Madruga, emphasized that this work is essential for the care of the trees and noted that the Master Plan for Trees, whose final approval is expected in the coming weeks, will establish the guidelines for the management of the urban forest.
Similar work is being carried out in other Spanish cities. For example, in Jerez, safety pruning has been performed in several areas to prevent branches from falling and to ensure public safety , with the collaboration of the local police. These interventions, as in Córdoba, aim to maintain the trees in good condition and prevent risks.
Urban tree pruning is becoming a key tool in municipal management, combining technical criteria, international standards, and a continuous effort from the work teams. The more than 10.000 pruning projects in Córdoba and the safety measures implemented in Jerez demonstrate the commitment of city councils to maintaining trees , an element increasingly valued for its contribution to the environment and the quality of life in cities.
