Polish towns face tree‑cutting controversies

In Krosno, a televised interview with the city mayor sparked accusations of manipulation and misinformation over municipal tree‑cutting. The mayor claimed the city was planting about 200 new trees, while critics highlighted a larger scale of removal and pointed to a protest of more than 250 residents and a petition signed by over 1,000 people. Experts such as Professor Łukasz Łuczaj and editor Grzegorz Bożek were cited in support of the opposition.

In Tychy, trees were felled in the Park Niedźwiadków to make way for a 500,000‑zł public toilet project approved through the city’s participatory budget. A local resident expressed outrage, warning that “the city will become all concrete.” The project received 1,415 votes and is intended to improve sanitary facilities for families, seniors and people with disabilities.

Both incidents illustrate growing tensions between municipal development plans and community efforts to preserve urban green spaces in Poland.