The City Council of Salamanca continues to develop the Special Plan for the Protection of Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity and its Savia Red Verde strategy to contribute to an even healthier city, adapted to climate change, and therefore, with a higher quality of life for its residents thanks to the introduction of nature in urban environments.
The Mayor of Salamanca, Carlos García Carbayo, presented today what will be «a historic boost for the city» with the planting of 32,663 trees. With an investment exceeding 631,000 euros, this will take place in urban and forested areas during the upcoming autumn, between the months of October and December.
Carbayo reaffirmed the City Council’s commitment to increasing the city’s tree population to make Salamanca one of the cities with the best air quality, according to the latest data from the European Environment Agency. Currently, municipal green areas have 94,424 trees and 48,199 shrubs, 10,500 more than a year ago, spread across over 2.74 million square meters of municipal green areas. This provides 18 square meters per inhabitant, double the amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a healthy environment.
With the planned planting, municipal green areas will have over 127,000 trees. In addition to these figures, the tree population of the Tormes riverbank, under the jurisdiction of the Duero River Basin Authority (CHD), as well as the Miguel de Unamuno university campus and private courtyards, must be added. Thus, considering all green areas in the municipal area, there is currently at least one tree per inhabitant.
This effort has recently been recognized by the international program ‘Tree Cities of the World 2024’, awarded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Arborday Foundation, through the Arbocity Association in Spain, for its commitment to urban trees. This recognition adds to the Tree Award granted to Salamanca in 2022 by the Cities Forum of Madrid IFEMA for promoting urban natural spaces to enhance the health and well-being of city residents in a sustainable manner.
Areas where the planting will take place
The Mayor explained that the planting will be carried out among the trees planned by the companies responsible for maintaining Salamanca’s green areas, with a new contract divided into three lots, whose tender will take place in the coming weeks.
The first two lots to be contracted, with amounts of 129,705.53 and 131,896.68 euros, respectively, correspond to 1,110 trees distributed in 51 urban areas (parks, garden areas, inter-block areas, squares, green spaces such as medians, slopes, boulevards, and roundabouts).
Specifically, in the avenues of San Agustín, Carmen Martín Gaite, Salamanca, Obispo Sancho de Castilla, Reina Berenguela; the surroundings of the Torrente Ballester municipal library; the streets Alcalde Málaga Guerrero, Babia, Buenaventura, Cabrera, Castellanos, Félix de Montemar, Fernando Pessoa, Guarda, Hilario Goyenechea, Joaquín Rodrigo, José de Lamano Beneite, Lázaro Ralero, Maestro Tárrega, Mayor de Chamberí, Poeta Jesús Rasueros, Rector Madruga, Remigio González Adares, Teso de la Feria, and Tratado de Roma; on the Cerro de San Vicente; at the roundabouts of Beatriz de Suabia, Ciudad Jardín, Enrique el Navegante, Obispo Bobadilla, Obispo Mauro Rubio, Ruta de la Plata, Tomás Francisco Prieto, and Tratado de Tordesillas; in the parks along the Camino de Salamanca, Jesús Arambarri street, Jerónimos, Jesuitas, Musas, and Valhondo; on the Schengen Convention and Enrique de Sena promenades; in the squares of José Paz Maroto and Santa Cecilia; on the roundabouts of Margarita de Austria avenue with Dolores Cebrián street and Petra Zugarrondo, Quinto Pino, and San Marcelino Champagnat; and on the Helmántica Avenue.
On the other hand, the third lot to be contracted, with a base bidding budget of 238,103.90 euros, will allow the planting of 29,250 trees in 12 forest areas (peri-urban parks and outskirts of the city, connecting municipal green areas with others, reinforcing the creation of an outer green belt).
Specifically, on the banks of the Zurguén Stream and Teide street next to the Parador de Turismo; in the El Montalvo industrial estate on Hoces del Duratón and Hoyamoros streets; in the Baldío Park; next to the Tejares cemetery on Juan Bautista de Toledo street; in Huerta Otea at Don Juan Tenorio Park and in the green corridors along the Tormes riverbank; in the Tejares Powder Magazine (where the largest planting will take place with a forest of 21,755 trees) and in the new industrial area of the city in Peña Alta and next to the Animal Protection Center (4,561 trees).
Finally, the companies responsible for the municipal parks and gardens service will plant another 2,303 trees this year, as part of their contractual commitments, with a total amount of 131,890 euros, in those green areas of the city where the need to increase the tree population is identified.
Up to 57 native species beneficial for health
A wide variety of native species and others that provide greater multifunctionality to different green spaces will be used for the planting, up to 57 in total, facilitating the increase of biodiversity, ecological connectivity, and the improvement of ecosystem services, which in turn impact urban health and those living in the city.
These include maples, chestnuts, acacias, alders, strawberry trees, birches, cedars, hazelnuts, cypresses, quinces, ash trees, walnuts, almond trees, cherry trees, pear trees, willows, cork oaks, holm oaks, and oaks.
Through these plantations, measures will be taken to combat the effects of climate change by generating carbon sinks. Thus, the selected tree species are combined into planting modules, in addition to being differentiated by the locations where each planting will take place.
Furthermore, the aim is to increase the tree biodiversity in the urban ecosystem to avoid monoculture tendencies, as this can pose a health risk if pests and diseases develop that can become highly virulent and resistant, as has been the case with Dutch elm disease, for example.
By introducing certain species known for their flowering, the goal is to increase the number of pollinators and beneficial auxiliary insects for humans to combat pests such as aphids.
Likewise, these measures will increase the bird population in the city, attracted in many cases by the fruits, such as sparrows, blackbirds, or goldfinches, among others. Additionally, the species exhibit a chromatic variability either through their flowering or leaf color due to seasonal changes, providing well-being for individuals.
New economic and employment opportunities related to the environment
The Mayor concluded his speech by reaffirming the City Council’s commitment to the Green Infrastructure Strategy, Savia, to safeguard natural values and promote ecosystem services in the municipal area of a World Heritage city.
This strategy marks the present and future path towards a city with a greener and more sustainable urban model, promoting the health and well-being of its residents, generating new economic and employment opportunities related to the environment, agri-food, and biotechnology, and adopting measures to address the challenges of climate change.
As proof of this, Carbayo added, is the maintenance of municipal green areas by social economy companies and special employment centers such as La Encina, created by Cáritas, and El Arca, belonging to Asprodes, which provide jobs for people with disabilities or at risk of social exclusion thanks to the funding from the City Council of Salamanca.