Opinion of the Czech Chamber of Architects on the intention to fell avenues along roadways

In accordance with its long-term goals and attitudes towards landscape care in urbanized environments as well as outside of them, as part of the cultural heritage, the Czech Chamber of Architects issues the following position regarding the current intention of the owners and managers of tree-lined avenues along roads of I, II, and III class:

The intention to fell tree-lined avenues along roads of I, II, and III class

a) is contrary to the goals of landscape creation and protection as a part of cultural heritage and a living component of the natural environment of this state and purposefully misuses a one-sided view based on misleading statistical data;

b) lacks credible analytical documentation and its broad scope prevents qualified individual assessments from both professional and lay audiences, as well as proper evaluation and assessment of the consequences of each individual intention by the relevant administrative authorities caring for both natural and cultural environments in each individual case;

c) lacks qualified comprehensive and justified proposals for specific solutions, prepared by professionally competent individuals, who would be able to ensure compliance with all essential aspects of nature care, landscape as well as the requirements for traffic safety within individual cases, and the discussion of these proposals with broader professional and lay audiences and responsible administrative authorities.

The procedure of the responsible transport administrative authorities and the Police of the Czech Republic, as well as other jointly responsible public administration bodies in this matter, is incorrect and damaging to the holistic approach to the values of our landscape and cultural heritage. The statement that for the felled trees, replacements will be planted in areas such as the ŠUMAVA National Park and Protected Landscape Area in tenfold numbers, is – unfortunately – just a sad proof of a fundamental misunderstanding of the value of avenues and tree rows for the landscape and urban environment of the Czech Republic. The value of these avenues and tree rows is inseparably linked to specific places and regions and cannot be derived from the official price of individual trees without considering broader landscape and urban contexts. Therefore, they cannot be compensated by planting in another place in our republic. An avenue as a landscape phenomenon is a sign of the cultural and civilizational level of a nation, an identifying factor in the relationship of humans and communities to both the landscape and urban environment – to the landscape and the city, or the countryside. It is also a significant architectural element, an orientational element in the landscape, a functional element of the ecological stability system, a habitat, a part of the local microclimate, and fulfills many other functions. It is beyond doubt that avenues and tree rows also age; they must be cared for and aging trees must be replaced with new ones. However, this cannot be done indiscriminately and uniformly. An avenue must be viewed individually since its positive function in the transport system and road safety must also be considered – the function of windbreak, sunshade, prevention of snowdrifts, orientation, psychological impact on drivers to slow down on roadways, and so on. Even in specific cases where the priority is the protection of road safety, all relevant measures must be considered, including technical and organizational measures, before the option of felling avenues and tree rows is utilized.

The Czech Chamber of Architects, as a self-governing body of professional self-governance and part of the public administration system with delegated state administration oversight over the activities of authorized persons in the fields of architecture, urbanism, and landscape architecture, which is also entrusted by law with care for building culture, for the culture of environment shaping, and cooperation in protecting public interests in the areas of construction, architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture [§ 23 paragraph 6 letter a) and b) of Act No. 360/1992 Coll.], urges all public authorities to not overlook

• their impact and consequences for the quality of urban and rural environments, architecture, urbanism, and landscape,
• interests in preserving the richness and diversity of the architectural heritage of the landscape and urban environment,
• the importance of the legacy of past generations and what we value for future generations, especially in preserving and developing the urban environment and architecture, as well as preserving and developing a living and rich natural-landscape environment in its entirety.

For these purposes, we demand that any decisions regarding interventions in the natural environment and landscape, especially in connection with the felling of avenues and tree rows, be based on qualified preparatory materials and proposed solutions, always properly justified and considered in broader landscape and urban contexts.


On behalf of the Board of the Czech Chamber of Architects



In Prague on March 12, 2009