Radebeul waters! Protect street trees and sponsor a tree now!

Trees cool, filter and humidify the air we breathe, reduce street noise, provide a habitat for plants and animals and give us a pleasant climate with their shade. The dry and hot summers in particular put a lasting strain on street trees in Radebeul. Volunteers are now being sought to sponsor trees.

"The drought that has persisted since 2018, especially in the summer months, has also had a devastating effect on Radebeul's urban vegetation: Many trees, hedges and shrubs are already damaged as a result of a lack of water," explains Oliver Lange, acting head of the civil engineering department. "New plantings have a particularly difficult time growing and forming the necessary deep roots. They need to be supported by regular watering in the first few years," Lange continues. The city greenery department is intensively involved in watering during the summer months, but even this is often not enough.

The Rotary Club of Radebeul therefore suggested involving the people of Radebeul and creating the possibility of adopting trees. "This is a joint task that we can only accomplish as an urban community. Radebeul is a very green city. If we want to preserve this, we have to tackle this task together," says Lord Mayor Bert Wendsche. "The climatic challenges have increased in recent years and are also having an impact on the old, established tree population, which is failing faster than expected as a result. Planting new and replacement trees and maintaining their growth is therefore essential," said the mayor. "To this end, a new section has been set up in the Radebeul citizen app, where you can find the trees that urgently need additional water," adds Wendsche.

Tree watering sponsors can sign up for a year. The Rotary Club of Radebeul is offering very special support: "Nobody can water street trees every day with a watering can. That's why we are providing the first 200 sponsors with a watering bag. This is placed around the tree trunk like a coat and filled with up to 75 litres of water. The water is released drop by drop over 6 to 9 hours and refilled 1-2 times a week, explains Jens Wallrabe, President of the Rotary Club Radebeul. The sponsorship card attached to the watering bag can be used to document your commitment to "your" tree. The watering bag can be collected free of charge from the Tourist Information Centre on presentation of the sponsorship list in the Radebeul Citizens' App (section: Life).

The Radebeul citizen app is available free of charge in the Android and iOS app stores. The current version with the tree sponsorship is already available for iOS, unfortunately the update for Android is a little delayed.