Sudden death for thousands of trees in New Dubai

Dubai: Thousands of damas trees lining the streets and villas of Emaar's master-planned communities in New Dubai are being felled to prevent damage to underground piping systems, pools, drains and boundary walls.

A spokesperson for Emaar Properties told XPRESS: "Emaar is in the process of replacing the damas or conocarpus lancifolious trees from our communities, depending on their location and proximity to homes.

"We are discouraging our community residents from planting the trees due to the potential damage it can cause and the repair costs thereby incurred. We are encouraging them to remove the trees from their gardens to avoid any possible concerns."

Thrive in heat

Emaar Community Management has already notified residents of Arabian Ranches and Emirates Living communities like The Greens, The Springs, The Lakes, Meadows and Emirates Hills about the move.

The Emaar spokesperson said damas thrives in hot, arid conditions and are commonly used for landscaping purposes. They are used as ‘screen trees' as they are inexpensive, require minimal irrigation and are fast-growing with dense foliage.

However, she warned that: "The roots of the trees spread very fast and potentially cause damage to walls in addition to choking water pipes and affecting landscaping.

"Residents have also been reporting large foliage falling from trees in neighbours' gardens. Some villa owners have also had to redo their drainage pipe network or eradicate roots from shower drains and swimming pools, while some others had to reconstruct boundary walls damaged by the trees."

The spokesperson said: "After having identified that the trees can cause damage to underground piping systems, pools and shower drains, among others, we are taking an active role in discouraging their use through awareness campaigns."

The move has met with a mixed response.

An Arab garden enthusiast and villa owner in Hattan of The Lakes said: "Damas trees can be a real nuisance. It is good that they are bringing them down. I have made sure I do not have any of these trees in my garden."

But opposite his corner villa is another home where full-blown damas trees act as a dense screen along two boundary walls. "They give us the privacy we want," said the owner, clearly not keen to pull them down.

Another Indian family living in the Arabian Ranches said they hoped they would be able to keep the three trimmed damas trees in their villa as they were an effective screen for the lawn area where they spend a lot of time. "We love the look of these trees and we don't let them grow beyond a certain height, so we're hoping we can keep them," said the man of the house.

Damas perhaps is the most common tree dotting the landscape of Dubai.

Mohabbat Ali, Sales Supervisor at the Desert Landscaping Nursery, said, "Damas trees are widely used for screening and privacy barriers along boundary walls, besides hedging. They are also used for ornamental purposes as they can be easily shaped into various forms."

He said hundreds of trees are sold every month as they are very popular. "They are popular because they are resistant to extreme heat, grow fast and require little water. They are also disease-free."

Enquiries with nurseries revealed that the trees are not expensive either. Rates vary from Dh10 to Dh70.

"You can get a one-metre tree for Dh12 to Dh15," said one nursery. Another nursery said that unlike other barrier trees whose costs can go up to Dh700 to Dh800, damas trees come cheap, "a good tree for Dh55-Dh70."

But with the damas trees in Emaar communities soon to be a thing of the past, the focus is now on trees that can replace them.

A gardener at The Lakes claimed there are around 70 damas trees on the streets in the area, 20 of which have already been cut. "We have started cutting them and will eventually replace them."

The replacement is being done in keeping with other trees found in the immediate landscape. For example, damas trees on the streets in Deema will be replaced with neem while those in Hattan 1, 2 and 3 will be replaced with delonix regia. "In Maeen, we will be planting both neem and delonix regia," said the gardener.

Ahmad Saif, Project Manager at Meamaar Landscape, said the demand for replacement of damas trees in villas has risen in Dubai. "We've been doing this across areas, from Emirates Hills and Jumeirah Islands to Mirdif and Al Khawaneej."

He said: "Damas trees have a root problem. They damage concrete, boundary and house walls, drainage lines and underground wiring. They can be dangerous near swimming pools as they can damage the shell. People would rather have them replaced than bear the huge cost of repairs."