Between September 8 and 12, a tree maintenance team from Aachen's municipal services will cut down ten female ginkgo trees in Josefstraße.

Due to the butyric acid they contain, the fruits of the trees, which are around 40 years old, develop a strong, unpleasant odor. This develops, among other things, when the fruit rots or is trampled on. This is becoming increasingly unacceptable for local residents. Passengers were also sometimes refused a lift at affected public transport stops. The measures implemented in recent years, such as cleaning the sidewalks several times a day and collecting the fruit from the trees, which is unpleasant for employees, have not been successful in curbing the problem. The trees will therefore be removed; a felling permit has been issued by the Climate and Environment Department.

In the 2025/2026 planting season, the tree maintenance department will replant cherry trees with a larger trunk circumference of 20 to 25 centimetres at the affected locations.

A further three female ginkgo trees will be removed from the Kapuzinergraben for the same reasons. The felling work is expected to be carried out at the end of September; the felling permit has also been issued by the Climate and Environment Department. Replanting in this area will be postponed until the redesign of the Theaterplatz.