A landscape designer, Cristina Calero, and an expert in vegetation, Ramón Esteban, have documented multiple cases of trees on Palma's Paseo Maritimo which have had their lower bark stripped off by brushcutters.
They explain that this type of damage prevents the sap from circulating properly and ultimately leads to the tree's death. "The bark has been destroyed, and without bark, the sap doesn't circulate; it's like cutting off the tree's circulatory system. Most of the trees will die. Some trees are already dead and others have wounds that won't heal. They're doomed."
The two have walked the length of the Paseo to the Club de Mar, observing damage to ficus and juniper trees, among other species. "This isn't an isolated case or a one-off error. It's a pattern that repeats itself tree after tree. The machinery hits the stump directly, leaving no protective perimeter, and that's lethal."
Esteban points to a combination of "technical ignorance" and "inaction on the part of those who manage plant maintenance," while Calero describes what has happened as "sheer negligence". "If the operations aren't changed and staff aren't properly trained, we'll lose a large part of the Paseo's new trees. And all for something that was perfectly avoidable."
Spokesperson for the Balearic Trees Association, Toni Calafell, says the case is "a disgrace".
The Balearic Ports Authority admits that it had been completely unaware of the problem and stresses that it will investigate the extent of the damage.