Building a fence around a tree in the middle of a hill in the cemetery is not an everyday task for the tree maintenance team from Aachen's municipal services. The measure taken by the tree inspectors on this day is intended to preserve the weeping willow growing there. Because: "Our aim is basically to preserve the trees for as long as possible," emphasizes Andreas Schulz, Head of Tree Maintenance at Aachener Stadtbetrieb. "This applies in particular to special trees that stand out because of their age, their rarity, their impact on the townscape or their ecological importance as a habitat. Wherever possible, we take measures to secure these old trees."

The weeping willow at Hüls cemetery is just such a case. Experts estimate the tree, which is a major feature of the cemetery, to be around 85 years old. Several safety measures have already been carried out: Bolts were installed in the trunk and crown of the tree in summer 2020. Steel threaded rods are threaded through the affected area and firmly bolted in place. This prevents further tearing of the tree trunk and stabilizes the willow overall. The fence that has now been erected is a further protective measure.

"Basically, the willow is in an ideal location," explains Nino Polaczek-Keilhauer, tree care team leader. It has a space with good root penetration, few external (environmental) influences, no mechanical influences from traffic, there are no pipes built directly underneath and only infrequent foot traffic, so the soil is not compacted. These conditions meant that the tree was able to grow well and develop a spreading crown with a diameter of around 25 meters. The branches that the willow has formed over the years have grown far outwards. In a street tree, for example, overhanging branches would be shortened in order to reduce the weight of the foliage that forms and thus relieve the tree overall and prevent the branches from breaking off. The weeping willow offers other possibilities: Due to the sheltered location without much public traffic, the tree can be left as it is. The fence serves as protection to maintain the site conditions. Another reason for not interfering with the crown is that the tree is in the ageing phase: "If we were to remove branches now, the willow would take much longer to close the wound due to its age," explains Nino Polaczek-Keilhauer.

Under the current conditions, the willow could live for up to 150 years.