the debate
NoonJanuary 27, 2023 – 4:50 pm
true that the smoke of oleography is equivalent to a reprehensible brand, but curious that it is only the trees that pay the price
Of Francesco Palmieri
It is true that postcards are no longer sent, and that the farewell to the famous image of the Posillipo pine tree with Vesuvius in the background is an elaborate and (perhaps) forgettable mourning. true that the smoke of oleography is equivalent to a reprehensible brand, but curious that it is only the iconic trees of Naples that pay the price, while other suspect symbols of folklore enjoy a tenacious promotion: from pizza to Pulcinella, from espresso coffee to the cult of the patron saint, c There was and is a mobilization to include them in the intangible heritage of humanity safeguarded by UNESCO.
For a material or natural asset, such as stone pine, nobody shows great inspiration.
There will be some reason that comes from afar. Because if it’s true that Neapolitan painting has widely represented pines, from the School of Posillipo to the pastels of Giuseppe Casciaro, reveals its absence in poetry, dramaturgy and music. Unlike those of Rome celebrated in Ottorino Respighi’s symphonic poem, the pines of Naples do not benefit from a song, not even trees in general, apart from the piccerillo by EA Mario or the scant mentions that more or less all refer to Capemonte, because a forest could not be ignored: from Di Giacomo to the Suonne sunnate of Capolongo-Rainone (but just for the leaves and not for the needles of the conifer).
There are very few memorable exceptions, such as the plane tree of San Benedetto and some toponymic traces which between the old center and the Quarters refer to the elm, fig and mulberry trees. poetically speaking, things went better with aromatic herbs and flowers: anepeta, rue, carnations, roses, jasmine, that is the flora that can be circumscribed in a garden or in the heads placed on small balconies, for decorative or cooking use. The popular nativity scene itself, on the other hand, barren land with a few scrubby trees planted in the corks.
Now the abolition of the pines, of which the technical table of the Municipality has established the ban on regretting on the hill of Posillipo, seems sanctioned without too many tears. Indeed, someone will greet with satisfaction the leave of the killer tree, incurably sick, saboteur of the asphalt. We make up for the eclipse of poetry with the opinion of Lucius Montecchioprofessor of Forest pathology and Health and well-being of ornamental trees at the University of Padua, defined by the Financial Times The man who saves trees.
Stone pine is one of the most suitable tree species for Mediterranean urban areas and the coast of Campaniasays Montecchio, for this reason it has been chosen for centuries to plant trees in its cities. Before, however, they were traveled by carts and horses and were not paved, therefore they drained the rain giving the pines the ability to deepen their roots, because there was no waterproof covering to cover the apparatus. Unfortunately, in recent decades we have suffocated the trees up to the collar, so the roots move in search of oxygen towards the surface, deforming the asphalt. Montecchio’s accusation is that we have opted for the simplest and most wrong solution: to mill the roots and cover them, ignoring that the pine trees also oppressed by vehicular traffic suffer these wounds. Then pruning, frequent and dangerous because they are real amputations of the hair: they weaken the tree by opening the way for parasites that will cause the stumps to rot, destined to fallmaybe years later.
On the toumeyella parvicornisor the turtle cochineal that dries up the pines, Montecchio recalls that it was identified in Campania in 2014: nine years ago. If we ask ourselves what to do nine years later, we have lost the game. There was a way to control the insect with antiparasitic endotherapywhich costs much less than felling, disposal and replanting of a tree, effective and authorized by law. It’s not the fault of the pines: We are the ones who have modified the microclimate of the tree, those few square meters it needs for a decent life, with hit-and-run traffic management. Clearing the pines to admit, or hide, our big mistake.
But the shadow of guilt was less dense than the one the pines gave. When there were postcards.
January 27, 2023 | 4.50pm
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