Intriguing Trees in Geneva

This year our transfer business has grown considerably, and with it the hours we have spent driving back and forth to Geneva airport. I love the drive; down through the Valley D’Aulps following the river Dranse all the way to the Lac Leman (Lake Geneva), through French countryside and across the border into Switzerland. Hit Geneva and pop through a tunnel, the greeting on the other side: an incredible view of the lake, it’s intriguing trees and the Jet D’Eau fountain, it never gets boring! Following that the journey handrails the lake, charming with it’s juxtaposition of serenity on the water and the cityscape backdrop, always bustling with activity.

Without fail on these travels, our clients comment on the striking and unusual trees that line the promenades around the lake and through the city roads. I have gathered and lost information on said trees more times than I remember over the last 5 years, so I have tasked myself to become better equipped to answer the questions posed to me and improve in my role as holiday tour guide.

Plane Trees (Platanus Planes)

Plane Trees are distinctive with their mottled bark, inherited from their mixed sycamore genealogy, and with their stumpy knuckles, a result of their yearly pollarding.

Last year a good friend of mine (Andrew Mills) introduced me to the concept of ‘pollarding’: Trees are cut back to a predetermined height; whether to fit into their urban patch of land or to maintain a uniform view in a touristic spot. This pruning technique  stops the seeding process of the trees and promotes strong foliage growth, giving plenty of tree shade in the summer months. In the summer months the Geneva Plane Trees have an umbrella foliage that shades walkways for Geneva residents and tourists alike. It is said that Napoleon ordered the planting of these trees across much of Europe to provide shade for his marching troops.

Unfortunately, European Plane Trees are under attack from a fungus that was brought over in American munition boxes during WWII. The disease spreads via wounds in the trees; a scratch or a knock that allows the fungus access beneath the bark. There is no cure for the disease and a Plane Tree can be dead within 2 years of initial infection. This is becoming a significant problem along the banks of the Canal du Midi, where boats scuff the roots of the trees that line the canal, or the uninformed utilise the trees to tie off their boats. Cases have been reported in the Geneva canton, making the task of pollarding more challenging.

Pollarding usually occurs in the springtime but to minimise the risk of the fungus spreading the task must be undertaken when temperatures are -5 or under (temperatures the fungus cannot survive in). Thankfully, being situated so close to our beautiful ski areas we are afforded these low temperature pollarding opportunities most years, this winter (2018) certainly should not have been an issue, with lows of -18 around the lake! In fact, I witnessed pollarding in motion on one of my airport transfers this year – a massive team operating from hydraulic platforms and rope lines, it was quite a sight to behold. (see pic below)

When staying with us outside the ski season we can organise day trips to Geneva, or can drop you in Geneva for an explore the day you depart. Just ask for details on arrival or when booking summer activities.

The yearly pollarding in action.