For around 80 years, the Himalayan cedar, or Cedrus Deodara by its Latin name, had stood in Belair. But, at the end of June, the tree’s days became numbered and it was eventually felled.
When questioned, the municipality of Luxembourg City explained that the owner of the neighbouring property had regularly contacted its services to have the tree’s branches lightly cut back. And this was done by the municipal services.
However, in 2022, the owner of the plot in question asked the City of Luxembourg to cut down the cedar because he felt it was causing damage to his house. As he was unable to prove this, the municipality did not follow up on the request.
Nevertheless, on the basis of a court decision from 26 April 2023, the City of Luxembourg was obliged to prune the tree right up to the boundary of the neighbour’s property. This unilateral pruning meant that the tree’s stability was no longer guaranteed, posing a safety hazard to passers-by. It was therefore decided to fell the cedar.
The municipality first asked the Environment Ministry whether the cedar was a protected species. Since the answer was no, officials were not able to take any further action to protect the tree. Luxembourg City’s parks department thus cut down the tree, which is now in their depot.
According to the municipality, the forestry service will recover the wood and recycle it. It will notably be used to make street furniture.
