Italian towns face controversial tree removals amid safety and pest concerns

In the Calabrian town of Fagnano Castello, regional spokesperson Giuseppe Campana of Europa Verde‑AVS demanded an immediate halt to a municipal plan to cut around 1,200 high‑altitude trees, including many centuries‑old beeches. Campana criticized the lack of publicly released technical studies, questioned the safety justification and suggested the project could be driven by financial pressures on the municipality.

In Collevario, a district of Macerata, authorities announced a new eradication campaign against the Asian longhorn beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis). The plan calls for the removal of more than 320 trees—211 maples, 34 ash, 23 poplars and others—within a 100‑metre radius of identified infestations, in line with EU regulation 2025/1952. For each public tree felled, two native trees will be replanted under a cooperation agreement between the regional AMAP agency and the municipality.