The City Council of Córdoba, through its Parks and Gardens department, has significantly boosted the maintenance of urban trees during the first months of the year. With a total of 10.339 pruning operations carried out in streets and green spaces, the city is reinforcing its commitment to the safety and health of its urban forest.
These works, carried out according to European standards, range from selective tree trimming to avoid interference with homes and streetlights to emergency repairs on damaged trees. Furthermore, the Infrastructure Department has scheduled another round of work for the week of July 20-24 , focusing on streets such as Plaza La Araucaria, Tamarisco, and Al-Hakan.
More than 10.000 interventions in the first half of the year
Of the total number of actions taken, the majority correspond to what is known as interference pruning, with 9.609 interventions. This is followed by formative pruning (192), safety pruning (169), and restructuring or regulation pruning (59). An additional 310 palm trees were pruned at various locations throughout the city, similar to the increased palm pruning efforts in other areas. By district, the South accounted for the largest volume, with 3.108 actions, followed by the Southeast (2.280) and Northwest (1.220).
Four types of pruning for different purposes
Interference pruning is the most common type and involves cutting branches that interfere with houses, road signs, or streetlights. Only branches up to five centimeters in diameter are pruned to avoid injury and rot in the tree. It is carried out year-round and is a fundamental part of urban tree pruning in Spain.
Restructuring pruning is applied to trees damaged by improper management, lack of care, or storms. Formative pruning, on the other hand, is aimed at young trees to achieve a balanced crown and well-distributed branches. Finally, safety pruning eliminates risks to people, vehicles, and infrastructure, whether from tree diseases or adverse weather events.
European equipment and standards
To carry out these tasks, Parks and Gardens has eight pruning teams, each with two operators, totaling 16 personnel dedicated exclusively to this work. All interventions are performed following the European standard published by the TeST (Technical Standards in Treework) project in collaboration with the European Arboriculture Council (EAC), thus minimizing the risk of working at heights.
The Delegate for Infrastructure, Miguel Ruiz Madruga, emphasized that these actions "are an essential element in the care of our trees" and that the criteria used are based on this standard. He also noted that the Master Plan for Trees, which will establish the guidelines for the management of the urban forest, will be definitively approved in the coming days.
Upcoming scheduled performances
The delegation has scheduled another week of work from July 20th to 24th. On Monday the 20th, work will be carried out on Plaza La Araucaria and Ébano streets, where trees with low branches encroaching on homes and streetlights will be pruned; a dead tree will also be felled on Tamarisco Street and another on Camino Albadalejo. On Tuesday the 21st, semi-dead trees at risk of falling will be cut down on Al-Hakan Street. On Wednesday the 22nd, trees with low branches will be pruned on Avenida del Alerce. On Thursday the 23rd, on Avenida de Medina Sidonia, both sidewalks will be pruned due to branches in contact with vehicles and buildings. On Friday the 24th, on José Ortega y Gasset and José Luis López Aranguren streets, work will be done on low branches affecting homes and streetlights.
With these actions, Córdoba maintains a consistent level of care for its urban trees, combining risk prevention with environmental improvement. The combination of scheduled pruning and the application of European technical criteria ensures that the urban forest remains safe, healthy, and well-integrated into the city.
