As part of continuing efforts to ease congestion, Hanoi authorities are set to widen Lang Street, which means 371 trees will be relocated while another 105 will be cut down.
The project, which began on Tuesday, is expected to be completed in one month, and will cost more than VND64 billion (US$2.7 million), VnExpress reports.
A variety of tree species will be affected, including giant crape-myrtle, blackboard tree, royal poinciana and African mahogany.
Another part of the development will involve narrowing the median strip on Pham Hung and Khuat Duy Tien streets in Tu Liem District, as well as Nghiem Xuan Yen and Nguyen Xien in Hoang Mai District, according to the news source.
Late last year, it was announced that one million trees had been planted in the capital over a three-year period. That report, however, didn’t include the number of trees that have been cut down at the same time.
In many development projects, urbanization takes priority over the environment. In 2017, around 1,000 trees were cut down to widen part of Pham Van Dong Street in Tu Liem District while in May last year, over 150 trees were uprooted along Cat Linh Street for construction of Line 3 of Hanoi’s Metro project.
The benefits of adding trees to urban landscapes can be substantial. A mature tree can absorb up to 150 kilograms of CO2 each year, while trees also play a central role in climate change mitigation and air quality regulation.
