In Liepāja, by the “Daugava” stadium, between the spectator stands and the fence, eleven lime trees have undergone unprofessional crown maintenance – topping. This has been established by the council’s Green Space Supervision Commission (AUK), which has reported the matter to the municipal police.
Mārtiņš Grundmanis, board member of the stadium’s operator “OC Liepāja”, admits fault, but says there was no deliberate intent to harm the trees. When the running track surface at the stadium was being renewed, “OC Liepāja” at the same time asked the AUK for advice on what to do with six lime trees growing by the scoreboard, so that they would not get in the way of raising the flags on the masts and would not block supporters’ view of the results.
“The commission came out and said that felling was not allowed. But the crowns could be tended. At the time, speaking informally on the spot, we were told that we could cut them back in much the same way as we had already cut back the trees’ crowns before. We trimmed the lime trees nicely, and a crown has formed there,” he says.
A similar situation has now arisen with the lime trees behind the eastern stand.
“Last year the stadium hosted both national team matches and the Liepāja–Grobiņa derby, and that was when people were also sitting in this stand. You could see that the branches were already starting to come down on the spectators.
Remembering the earlier episode, and how we had tended those lime trees, we cut these back in a similar way. There was no ill intent, because right next to them we can see that the crown has grown back nicely.
It turns out that this is not acceptable, and that all these operations do have to be approved,” M. Grundmanis admits.
He agrees with the commission’s decision and acknowledges that they acted wrongly; in future they will call in specialists.
Topping trees by cutting off the leader and the branches is regarded as unsightly and uneconomical, it does not comply with good tree care practice, and it is to be considered mutilation of the trees, the minutes of the AUK meeting state.
“Micro-organisms easily enter at the cut sites and damage the tree in the long term. Losing its entire foliage reduces the tree’s viability, because there is not enough foliage to produce the necessary nutrients.
After topping, a tree usually regrows unstable branches that often break,” AUK head Laura Vīva reported at the meeting.
The binding regulations on the felling of trees outside forests and the protection of green spaces provide that maintenance of trees whose crowns project onto publicly accessible or adjacent public land units or buildings, or which are situated in the territory adjoining a property, may be carried out only with an arborist called in.
The Liepāja municipal police have received information from the AUK and administrative offence proceedings have been opened, reports law enforcement representative Elva Lubāne.
In accordance with Section 51, Paragraph 11 of the Forest Law, a legal person may be fined up to two hundred and eighty fine units (1400 euros) for the unauthorised felling or damaging of trees.