PSOE calls for urgent measures in Málaga after six tree falls in four weeks
The socialist municipal group denounces six incidents involving trees in Málaga in the last four weeks, one with a young woman admitted to the ICU, and will bring a motion to the Environmental Sustainability committee on Monday 14 de septiembre to demand a Plan Director de Arbolado.
Redacción · Publicada el September 13, 2026
The PSOE municipal group at the Ayuntamiento de Málaga has denounced six incidents of falling trees or large branches in the city over the last four weeks, one of which left a young woman admitted to the ICU. According to the note sent by the PSOE, the socialists attribute the situation to poor management of urban trees by the PP governing team.
Among the cases cited, the socialist spokesman, Mariano Ruiz Araujo, mentioned the fall of a branch from a century-old ficus in the Plaza de La Paz, which was subsequently felled, and the impact of a branch on two young people in the barriada de Miraflores de los Ángeles, one of whom was seriously injured. Ruiz Araujo also pointed to incidents next to the Gerencia Municipal de Urbanismo, near the Comisaría Provincial, in Huerta Nueva (Ciudad Jardín) and in La Palmilla, where a branch fell onto a vehicle. Regarding this last case, the spokesman stated that the eucalyptus involved had been inspected ten months earlier and classified as low risk, which he says shows failures in municipal controls.
The socialist councillor responsible for Medio Ambiente, Begoña Medina, has criticised that the Ayuntamiento acts reactively to these episodes, felling specimens only once they already pose a danger. Medina maintains that the tree management model has not adapted to current climate conditions, with higher temperatures and water stress that, she says, increase the weight and vulnerability of trees.
The PSOE will bring a motion on this matter to the Environmental Sustainability committee on Monday 14 de septiembre. The proposal will request the approval of the Plan Director de Arbolado, which according to the socialists should include an updated inventory, inspection protocols and intervention priorities for the largest or oldest specimens. It also proposes promoting an Ordenanza del Árbol regulating technical criteria from planting, such as suitable tree pits, anchoring and irrigation systems.
Medina added that there is a lack of human, technical and financial resources in the municipal area of Sostenibilidad Ambiental and in Parques y Jardines, and stated that the Ayuntamiento does not adequately oversee the work of the companies contracted for tree maintenance. The councillor also cited the international reference known as the 3-30-30 rule, which proposes that every resident should be able to see at least three trees from their home, that there should be 30% tree coverage in the city, and that there should be a green space within 300 metres of every home.
The socialist motion will be debated at the municipal Environmental Sustainability committee on Monday 14 de septiembre.
Among the cases cited, the socialist spokesman, Mariano Ruiz Araujo, mentioned the fall of a branch from a century-old ficus in the Plaza de La Paz, which was subsequently felled, and the impact of a branch on two young people in the barriada de Miraflores de los Ángeles, one of whom was seriously injured. Ruiz Araujo also pointed to incidents next to the Gerencia Municipal de Urbanismo, near the Comisaría Provincial, in Huerta Nueva (Ciudad Jardín) and in La Palmilla, where a branch fell onto a vehicle. Regarding this last case, the spokesman stated that the eucalyptus involved had been inspected ten months earlier and classified as low risk, which he says shows failures in municipal controls.
The socialist councillor responsible for Medio Ambiente, Begoña Medina, has criticised that the Ayuntamiento acts reactively to these episodes, felling specimens only once they already pose a danger. Medina maintains that the tree management model has not adapted to current climate conditions, with higher temperatures and water stress that, she says, increase the weight and vulnerability of trees.
The PSOE will bring a motion on this matter to the Environmental Sustainability committee on Monday 14 de septiembre. The proposal will request the approval of the Plan Director de Arbolado, which according to the socialists should include an updated inventory, inspection protocols and intervention priorities for the largest or oldest specimens. It also proposes promoting an Ordenanza del Árbol regulating technical criteria from planting, such as suitable tree pits, anchoring and irrigation systems.
Medina added that there is a lack of human, technical and financial resources in the municipal area of Sostenibilidad Ambiental and in Parques y Jardines, and stated that the Ayuntamiento does not adequately oversee the work of the companies contracted for tree maintenance. The councillor also cited the international reference known as the 3-30-30 rule, which proposes that every resident should be able to see at least three trees from their home, that there should be 30% tree coverage in the city, and that there should be a green space within 300 metres of every home.
The socialist motion will be debated at the municipal Environmental Sustainability committee on Monday 14 de septiembre.