Watering the trees in Hilden

No. The Hilden fire department, the central building yard and the civil engineering and green spaces department have jointly developed a clear strategy to protect the trees, especially the young trees, from drying out.

At the present time (July 30, 2018), the central building yard is doing a good job of watering all trees whose roots may not reach the groundwater. This affects the 227 young trees that the Civil Engineering and Parks Department has planted in the last five years. The central building yard is taking its task very seriously, deploying more staff and working extra shifts, including on Friday afternoons and Saturdays.

If the capacities of the central building yard are no longer sufficient at a later date to protect the old trees from drying out as well as the young trees in Hilden, the fire department will of course support its colleagues.

In Hilden, everything is also being done to help the street trees. The city of Hilden has simply opted for a different approach.

In Düsseldorf, too, the gardening department, fire department, Awista, municipal drainage company and municipal utilities only take care of the young trees. However, there are 4,000 trees in Düsseldorf and 227 in Hilden. The roots of the young trees often do not yet reach the groundwater, which is why they currently need our help.

In fact, it is "normal" in the sense of "natural" for the trees to shed their leaves. On the one hand, the plane trees are suffering from a fungal infestation. This is a consequence of the warm and humid weather of the last few weeks. During this time, heat and thunderstorms have regularly alternated. In addition, other trees are shedding their leaves so that they do not evaporate as much water. This is a natural protective reaction.

The most important task of the fire department is to put out fires. However, if necessary and where possible, it naturally also helps in other areas, most recently in setting up the volunteer exchange.

The city is not saving money at the expense of the trees. No healthy tree will dry out due to the current heatwave. The central building yard, the civil engineering and green spaces department and, if necessary, the Hilden fire department are working hand in hand. The employees of the central building yard bring 22,500 liters of water to the street trees every day.

The city has made a decision and is taking responsibility: the central building yard is responsible for irrigation and is also technically equipped. Due to the current heatwave, it has increased its staff and time. The Hilden fire department provides civil protection.

No. The city ensures that no city tree dries out.

Hilden's strategy has been jointly developed by the central building yard, the civil engineering and green spaces department and the Hilden fire department. As long as possible, the responsible departments perform their tasks themselves (central building yard: watering, fire department: extinguishing fires). Only in the next step will the "administrative assistance" instrument be used.

That is correct. That is why the Hilden fire department has also assessed the situation itself and coordinated with the other departments within the administration.

The city of Hilden (central building yard, civil engineering and green spaces department and Hilden fire department) take responsibility for ensuring that no city tree dries out and dies due to the heat. Nevertheless, the trees are happy about every extra bucket of water. Many people have approached the city of Hilden on their own initiative and asked if and how they can help. The city has therefore provided information. However, help is not an obligation, but a voluntary decision by every citizen.

There are almost 12,000 trees in Hilden's urban area. The persistent heat and drought are causing them problems. The 225 young trees in particular are suffering because their roots often do not yet reach the groundwater. But the water reserves of the older trees have also been used up.

The employees of the central building yard are currently working extra shifts to bring 22,500 liters of water from the deep water well in the city park to the street trees every day. The city has also asked citizens to help.

Just a few buckets of water can help a young tree through the grueling drought. Six buckets of water once a week is more effective than a little every day.

The 22,500 liters of water that the central building yard brings to the thirsty trees every day are paid for by taxpayers' money. Unfortunately, the city does not have the accounting, financial or organizational resources to pay compensation to all the people who volunteer to help.

The municipal civil engineering and green spaces department has not yet requested any official assistance. The extra shifts of the green keepers and the voluntary commitment of citizens are currently still sufficient to prevent the trees in Hilden's urban area from drying out.

Yes, but the deployment would be a major challenge.

On the one hand, the Hilden fire department only has one larger fire engine. The tank holds 5,000 liters of water and is indispensable for fires where there is no hydrant nearby, for example on the freeway or forest fires. For this reason, both the water tender and the other fire engines with smaller tanks (1,600 liters) must always be filled and ready for use.

Alternatively, it is possible to lay hoses from the hydrants. On the one hand, this involves considerable effort and, on the other, the pressure, four to five bar, is too high for small tree grates. There are no large areas with several trees, such as in Düsseldorf, in the Hilden city area. The Hilden fire department would first have to purchase suitable, smaller hoses.

The first and most important task of the fire department is to put out fires. This requires sufficient personnel. Due to the current risk of forest fires, the volunteer fire department is on heightened alert alongside the professional fire department.

In this case, the Civil Engineering and Parks Department could ask the Hilden Fire Department for assistance. The Hilden fire department would then have to manage the above-mentioned difficulties as far as possible, i.e. buy new hoses, for example, and plan personnel accordingly.

The street trees shed their dry bark as they grow. As it rained a lot in spring, the plane trees were able to grow very well. As a result, the trees are now finding their mantle too tight and some of it is bursting off.

Many plane trees are affected by a fungus that causes them to lose their foliage. The sycamore fungus is one of the most common pathogens of these trees and occurs particularly after a cool and damp spring. The discoloration of the leaves is the most conspicuous symptom of sycamore trees. However, tree lovers need not worry. Experience has shown that sycamore trees recover and produce new leaves.