Toulouse: why was the weeping willow of the Prairie des Filtres cut down?
In May, the majestic weeping willow of the Prairie des Filtres, in the district of Saint-Cyprien, was cut down, leaving only its trunk. Local residents regret and investigate the disappearance of the tree.
Residents and walkers are mobilizing to preserve the memory of an old weeping willow in the Prairie des Filtres. “There is a memorial at the foot of the trunk of the tree. We have placed a necklace for him as a tribute”, says a resident of Saint-Cyprien, near the Prairie des Filtres. It’s the sad story of a sick weeping willow that was cut with a chainsaw. Shocked residents are investigating the disappearance of the majestic tree.
A fungus, the ganoderm, makes the tree sick
According to the town hall, the green space services have noted the strong presence of a wood-degrading fungus, ganoderma. The branches of the dead tree that threatened to collapse on walkers were cut. The trunk of the tree has been preserved to become a refuge for living beings. It is at its foot that an explanatory panel is installed that the town hall “will replant, in the fall of 2022, two weeping willows nearby”.
A referent of the association Bien Vivre in Toulouse center reports a rumor that goes around: “a lady would have seen the weeping willow being cut down then the next day another tree; perhaps there was an error in the cutting of the tree ?”. The resident of the district, very involved in the affair, has even created an Instagram account “prairie des filters” on which he shares the evolution of the environment of the tree.
A tree missed by regulars
In addition to these speculations, local residents understand that the tree was sick but is particularly nostalgic. “It was my place to read in the summer, it’s sad for such a graceful tree,” laments Marie, 42. Other passers-by did not even notice this disappearance, the Prairie des Filtres being in full preparation for the Rio Loco festival. A couple of retirees who came to see their son in Saint-Cyprien, offer to replant the tree, according to Japanese methods seen in a program. It remains to be seen whether the two other weeping willows replanted by the town hall in the fall will make people forget the disappearance of the first.