Yerevan Municipality continues felling of trees round city

ArmInfo. Yerevan City Hall is "preparing" citizens for the sultry summer. Street after street in the city is losing trees that have saved Yerevan residents from the  merciless summer sun for so many years, and instead, decorative trees  are being planted. According to experts, completely healthy plants  are being cut down, although the city hall continues to stand its  ground, claiming that the felling only concerns trees that have lost  their viability.

The next "target" of the city authorities was Melik Adamyan Street,  where 59 elms were cut down. Instead, 82 decorative spherical  catalpas will bloom. According to the city hall, these are  15-year-old catalpas that replaced sick and deformed elms approaching  the end of their life cycle.

"This tree species is known for its wide, heart-shaped leaves, grows  quite quickly, forms a wide crown and provides shade," the capital's  municipality stated. 

Meanwhile, various sources say that the spherical catalpa is a small  compact tree with a spherical crown of light green leaves, up to 4-6  m in height and is used for small gardens, as well as for landscaping  streets, container landscaping.

In summer, the tree is decorated with pinkish-white inflorescences,  exuding a pleasant aroma. Catalpas are planted in parks, used to  decorate city alleys and monumental decor of a personal plot. They  are also called a macaroni tree.

All this is, of course, wonderful, and no one excludes that from an  aesthetic point of view, if the trees planted by the mayor's office  really take root, and even bloom in season, the city will be  transformed. But not only the expert community, but also citizens are  wondering - how rational is it to sacrifice people's health for the  sake of temporary, seasonal beauty?