Italian municipalities manage urban greenery and weather-related tree losses

Municipalities in Italy are implementing different strategies to manage urban greenery following environmental challenges. In Santarcangelo, the administration has launched a maintenance plan for 145 plants scheduled between October 2026 and March 2027. The project, costing over 15,000 euros, focuses on pruning branches that interfere with homes, pedestrian walkways, or vehicle traffic. The plan aims for a five-year cycle to ensure comprehensive coverage of public trees.

In Bologna, data from the first months of 2026 shows a significant loss of urban vegetation. Over 1,000 trees were lost, including 673 removals and 365 instances of trees collapsing due to severe weather. A single storm on July 15 accounted for more than 300 of these collapses. While 43 trees were removed due to disease, the majority of removals were due to trees being dead or in an unrecoverable vegetative state. The increase in removals compared to 2025 highlights the impact of extreme weather events like wind, hail, and heavy rain.