"I couldn't believe my eyes, the damage is very severe" • Residents of Sderot Hatzvi are angry about the damage to the trees

(live here) – Residents living on Sderot Hatzvi Street in central Carmel were surprised to discover yesterday morning (Wednesday, 19/2/25) that the electric company was carrying out work on the street, which they said caused serious damage to several ancient trees. The work, which continued until the wee hours of the night, led to outrage among residents, who claim that it is a serious violation of the green heritage of the street, which is considered the most beautiful street in Haifa and, according to many, one of the most beautiful streets in Israel, mainly thanks to its magnificent avenue of trees.

Ancient trees were damaged

According to the residents, at least five trees were severely damaged, with their roots exposed and some cut down. This morning (Thursday), the residents discovered that the excavations were covered with asphalt, which will make it difficult to assess the damage caused. The residents emphasized that the trees on the street are trees for preservation, so the damage to them is particularly serious.

"I couldn't believe it when I discovered the damage"

Landscape architect Hana Yoffe, who happened to be there by chance, was shocked to discover what had happened. "I passed by the area yesterday at 11:40 a.m. and couldn't believe my eyes. The damage to the trees is very serious. It's unclear how power lines are moved without an approved construction plan. I tried to call various agencies to stop the work. Now that the area is covered in asphalt, it's hard to tell how much damage the trees have sustained. The municipality, for its part, sent arborists who tied the high branches to the trees at the back of the inner courtyards for safety reasons. The work continued into the night, but by midnight there was no one there to supervise. If careful opening is not urgently carried out and the stone fragments that were pushed in are replaced with fine soil and irrigation is provided after the damage, the trees will almost certainly dry out."

Danger to street trees

In recent years, many urban renewal projects have been carried out on Sderot Hatzvi Street, as a result of which many trees are in danger. In each project, an individual examination of each tree is conducted. In the current case, residents and environmental activists are raising doubts as to whether a sufficient and comprehensive examination was indeed conducted as expected, before the work began. Residents and environmental activists are angry, as they say they did not receive advance notice of the work and therefore were not able to act to prevent damage to the trees.

"Hopefully the trees will survive"

Deputy Mayor Avihu Han visited the site and expressed concern about the damage caused. "This is very serious. I asked to look into the matter and send inspection officials to the site. It appears that the work was carried out without sufficient supervision, which led to severe damage to the trees. I hope the trees survive this disaster, and we will do everything we can to restore them. When carrying out work on the most beautiful avenue in Haifa, it must be done under close supervision."

Golan Steinberg: "We will examine the excavation permit procedure"

Deputy Mayor Sarit Golan Steinberg announced that she intends to review the process for approving excavation permits at the municipality. "There is a vacuum regarding excavation permits in public spaces issued by the operations manager. I have ordered a review of the issue, including the permits issued in this case. We will call an urgent meeting on the issue."

"Many trees were saved thanks to the quick response"

The chairwoman of the Carmel Public Forum, Yael Amitai, noted that Mayor Yona Yahav greatly helped in minimizing the damage: "I would like to express our gratitude to Mayor Yona Yahav for his quick and determined response. As soon as we brought the critical condition of the trees on the street to his attention, he acted without delay. The mayor immediately understood the severity of the situation, contacted all relevant parties in the municipality and the electric company, and explicitly instructed them to protect the roots of the trees. Although some of the damage has already been caused, we believe that his quick intervention saved many trees. We hope that this incident will lead to a change in the municipal approach, so that in every future project, a comprehensive examination of the trees in the area will be conducted and clear instructions will be given for working around them, out of true recognition of the importance of trees to the quality of life and the environment in our city."

"The public is not informed"

Galia Becker, a representative of the Carmel Public Forum, claims that the electric company does not inform the public: "The company does not update the public about its work. There are regulations for excavation work, but they do not refer to trees planted in the streets. In this case, the Ministry of Agriculture inspectors who arrived at the scene defined the damage as 'humane.' Instead of stopping the work, it continued until 1:00 a.m. The pits were closed with asphalt, so it is now difficult to inspect the damage caused."

"We worked in coordination with the municipality"

The electric company provided a response Because the work was carried out with prior approval from the municipality and after coordination with its representatives. "The excavation was carried out mostly using horizontal drilling to prevent damage to the trees. In any case, a meeting was scheduled for Sunday with municipal officials to check whether any damage was caused and how it can be repaired."

The Haifa Municipality's response will be attached to the article when received.