Montevideo, Nov 22 - The Montevideo Municipality (IM) will remove 500 palm trees currently affected by the red palm weevil, a pest that causes the death of these trees.
The plan is to remove all compromised trees in public spaces "as soon as possible," the municipality said.
The operation divides the Uruguayan capital into eight simultaneous work zones to accelerate the process and includes specific treatments according to the species of palm tree.
For the operation, the IM developed an application that uses artificial intelligence applied to aerial photos taken by drones, allowing for rapid classification and referencing of the condition of each specimen.
The IM warned that the red palm weevil is a "highly aggressive" pest already present in both urban and rural areas.
The most affected species is Phoenix canariensis, the most common palm tree in the department and especially vulnerable to the insect's attack.
The progression of the pest is visible in the city, where palm trees with drooping crowns and decayed trunks are commonly seen.
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