Poisoned Poplars in Riva del Garda: Town to Fell and Restore Its Mature Trees
Two large Populus nigra trees on Riva del Garda’s Spiaggia dei Pini have been declared dead after tests detected glyphosate, with the trees—roughly 40 meters tall and with circumferences of 5.20 m and 4.38 m—likely centuries old. The poisoning is believed to have occurred in the winter of 2024-2025. A May 21, 2025 assessment by Dr. Giorgio Maresi of the Fondazione Edmund Mach excluded pathogens and insect activity, while laboratory analysis identified the herbicide; at the bases of the trunks, numerous drill holes were found, consistent with injection of a substance.
Municipal horticultural staff, following guidance from the technician, had repeatedly injected organic fertilizers without reviving the trees. The Comune di Riva del Garda filed a complaint with the Carabinieri on May 19, 2025 for damage to public property and environmental pollution, estimating potential damage at 40,000 euros. A second analysis on April 7 confirmed worsening vegetation, bark detachment, and increased drill holes, leading to a determination that the trees are dead and pose a danger. At a press conference on April 18, Mayor Alessio Zanoni and Councillor Gabriele Bertoldi announced planned felling along the lakeside in the following week, with costs estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 euros, and a plan to replant with plane trees, with the option to partially preserve one trunk as a memorial.
Italian Version