The city administration has once again ensured numerous new plantings throughout the entire urban area this year. The focus when selecting plants is primarily on drought-tolerant and insect-friendly specimens.
Climate change can no longer be denied; its effects are now visible in countless areas both public and private. Many plants are struggling with the prolonged periods of drought. Parasites additionally make their lives difficult. The climate chaos has thus defined new goals and tasks for people in affected regions. One of the challenges is to choose particularly resilient plants for new settlements.
Around 50 new trees have already been planted since April in several districts, partly also in cemeteries. These include, for example, amber trees, hop hornbeams, European mountain ashes, and maples, all of which can cope with the climate and withstand heat waves well with some care and watering. Twelve Thuringian mountain ashes (rowans) were planted on Klosterweg. These are of great importance as a food source for the local bird population. The work was carried out, as in the previous year, by the landscaping company Gartenbau Schmitt, based in Mandelbachtal.
Without subsidies, many things would no longer be possible today. Funding sources can also be tapped for the replanting of trees. In the current case, 90% of the total costs amounting to around 40,000 euros were covered in this way. The Ministry of Environment, Climate, Mobility, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (MUKMAV) granted this subsidy from state and federal funds as part of the "Joint Task for the Improvement of Agricultural Structure and Coastal Protection" (GAK).
Mayor Bernd Hertzler: “The city of Blieskastel strives to ensure replanting wherever possible in the event of any tree losses.” Overall, even more trees have been planted in recent years than had to be removed, confirms master gardener Andreas Ternes from the responsible department in Town Hall II. This naturally means that new trees and plants are funded and established outside of funded measures as well. For example, recently in Bierbacher Parkstraße in front of the former station building. There, a complete overhaul took place after the mayor received some complaints. The approximately 250 square meter area was overgrown, littered, and frequently marked by dog droppings.
