Opinions and Responses

About the Timing of Tree Pruning

Tatedai Kobushi Street is filled with magnolia flowers in full bloom in spring, and they are so beautiful that not only local residents but also people taking walks stop to admire them.
Inagi City has a lot of greenery and is envied by my friends. When the cherry blossoms along the Misawa River and the magnolias on Kobushi Street are in full bloom, I truly feel from the bottom of my heart that I’m glad to live in Inagi City.
However, just around this time two years ago, the magnolia branches were cruelly cut off. Naturally, no flowering could be expected. When I inquired at City Hall, I was told that due to pruning contractors and budget constraints, this timing was chosen. Since there were multiple complaint calls, they responded that they would consider the pruning timing going forward. That spring, only a few magnolia trees bloomed a small number of flowers, which felt quite sad. Moreover, many branches showed signs of decline and withering.
Last spring, there was no pruning before blooming, and we enjoyed the magnificent full bloom of the magnolia.
However, the other day, just like two years ago, the branches of the magnolia on Kobushi Street were sharply cut off with a loud noise.
I inquired at City Hall, and they responded that pruning at this time is best for the trees, so they carried it out.
Regarding the pruning of magnolia trees, AI has responded as follows: "The best time to prune magnolias is from April to May, immediately after flowering. When pruning large branches, it is advisable to do so during the leafless period from November to around March while checking for flower buds."
Cutting branches off abruptly without checking for flower buds is, I believe, a regrettable outcome both for the magnolia trees and for the citizens of Inagi City who look forward to their blooming.
We would like you to visit Tate-dai Kobushi Street during the magnolia flowering season to understand the current situation.

Response

Regarding the management of street trees, we regularly prune over 7,000 street trees within the city to ensure that pedestrian and vehicle traffic is not obstructed. Every year, in order to carry out effective pruning within a limited budget, pruning for each route is done once every few years. Therefore, we perform relatively strong pruning during the winter season, which is the typical pruning period for deciduous tall trees, for all street trees throughout the city.
While the city recognizes the importance of the role that flowers blooming on street trees play in the landscape and environment, there have been numerous pruning requests from residents along the route due to reasons such as securing sidewalk width and sight distance, and branches encroaching onto private property. From the perspectives of traffic safety and disaster prevention, we also consider it important to ensure the safety of pedestrians and vehicles using the roads and to protect the lives of residents along the route. Regarding the pruning period, despite receiving multiple requests, we have adopted the approach of conducting pruning once every few years during the typical pruning season for deciduous tall trees.

Back to the top of opinions and responses