Two of the mature ficus trees planted in the elevated portion of the Ajijic plaza were accidentally uprooted in late January during the removal of stone pavers carried out as part of the ongoing remodeling project.
Although workers employed by the private outfit contracted to execute the renovations quickly replanted the trees, neither tree survived the trauma of heavy root damage caused by being plowed down by heavy machinery.
Chapala Ecology Department Director José Jaime has called the project manager to task and is preparing to impose fines for the improper transplant procedure and damages it caused.
He reports that the dead trees will be replaced by a pair of plum pines (podocarpus), a type of conifer that is considered to be a more adequate species than ficus benjamina for planting in urban spaces.