They are all gone now. Last year they were still standing, the 27 trees of the Köşk Garden on Schrenkstrasse in Westend. The trees were felled a few weeks ago and still lie in front of the abandoned building like a battlefield. At the same time, seven new trees are to be planted just a few hundred meters further, on Fäustlestrasse, for several thousand euros. They are part of a city initiative to replant a total of 3,500 trees. Overall, the city’s annual tree balance remains negative. With a revised regulation, Munich now wants to ensure that the felling of even more trees requires approval – and the compensation payments for trees that are not replanted will increase.
In November 2023, the Köşk creative meeting point moved from Westend to Ludwigsvorstadt; the city of Munich would like to replace the old building with a four-story new building. But the deciduous trees that previously stood in front of the house also had to give way. The “Save Köşk Garden” initiative campaigned for the 27 trees, submitted an application to the district committee, distributed flyers and tried to mobilize against the plans. Nevertheless, the city issued a building permit for the project. The trees were felled at the end of December.
Anne Schmidt, who runs a design office in the neighborhood, took part in the “Save Köşk Garden” initiative. She shares: “The number of trees in Westend continues to decline, and at the same time there are fewer and fewer outdoor places to hang out and places to meet in general for the residents. Of course, it also hurts that the Köşk is an intercultural meeting place in the Westend is disappearing – but the fact that even the city, with Green government participation, is sacrificing existing green spaces on its own property more or less without discussion has annoyed us very much.”
“The preservation of trees is not a priority,” says Martin Hänsel from the Federal Nature Conservation Association. He complains that the city’s tree balance has been negative for years and that replanting does not meet the needs. The managing director of the nature conservation organization in Munich says: “In net terms, we lose around 2,000 trees per year, in public and private areas combined.”
The Munich tree balance for 2022 was negative overall. In 2022, a total of 7,786 trees were felled and 6,438 new trees were replanted in the 25 city districts, a total minus of 1,348. Of these, the city felled 2,550 trees on public land and replanted 2,710, i.e. 160 more. On private land, however, 5,236 trees were cut down and only 3,728 new ones were planted, i.e. 1,508 too few to get back to zero.
“Building law beats tree protection.”
According to Astrid Sacher, head of the tree protection and open space design department in the planning department, the numbers are purely approvals. These are necessary if a tree with a trunk circumference of 80 centimeters or more, measured at a height of one meter above the ground, is to be felled. The department head does not know whether the trees were actually cut down in the year of approval. However, according to Sacher, experience has shown that all permitted projects are actually implemented. She adds: “Building law beats tree protection.” Trees with a trunk circumference smaller than 80 centimeters do not need to be approved, which is why there are no figures for this.
In private, more trees are felled than replanted. According to Sacher, these are often removed because they are sick. If it is felled because it is being densified or new construction is taking place, compensatory planting is also difficult, says Sacher, because then there is not enough space for replacement planting. In this case, compensation payments would be due, currently 750 euros per tree.
A new tree costs at least 3,500 euros
The compensation payments for trees not planted go to the building department, which in turn should use it to plant new trees. The conservationist Hansel criticizes these payments: “Money doesn’t make the air cleaner. And the trees that would have to be planted over this pot are missing.”
The sum of the compensation payments also does not correspond to the cost of a newly planted tree. According to construction officer Jeanne-Marie Ehbauer, these depend on the age and type of trees. For the 3,500 trees that the city wants to plant by 2028, the costs for the cheaper plants are between 3,500 and 5,000 euros.
Munich has many green corners, as this photo from autumn along the Isar shows.
(Photo: Martin Siepmann/imago images/Westend61)
The city has recognized that the tree protection ordinance is no longer up to date. The regulation, which was last changed in 2013, is to be amended: then the felling of trees with a trunk circumference of 60 centimeters will require approval. In addition, the scope of application should be expanded and the compensation payments adjusted. At what height is open.
The city council approved the amendment in October. There will be an information event at the end of February. The planning department then wants to develop a final draft. The city council is expected to approve the new version this fall.