Orihuela transplants nearly 100 palm trees to restore empty areas of the Historic Palm Grove

Orihuela Town Council has transplanted nearly 100 palm trees from the municipal nursery to fill empty spaces and gradually renew the Historic Palm Grove. The work, announced on 30 October, is being carried out by the Department of the Environment, headed by Noelia Grao.

The Council says the new planting aims to restore areas where trees had been lost and maintain the continuity of the landscape. Gradual replacement is also intended to renew the vegetation and preserve the palm grove’s traditional structure.

The Palmeral de San Antón extends across the neighbourhoods of Palmeral, San Juan and San Antón, and the hamlet of El Escorratel. The Council describes it as Europe’s second-largest palm grove, after Elche’s. Its historical and natural value has been recognised since 1963, when it was declared a site of scenic interest. It is also designated a Site of Cultural Interest and forms part of the Natura 2000 network as a Site of Community Importance.

The municipal inventory published in 2020 recorded 8,176 palm trees, of which 6,244 were municipally owned. The document described the palm grove as ageing and identified 1,275 monumental trees, 517 of them municipally owned. The predominant species is the date palm.

The planting is part of the wider management of the site. In June 2026, the Council announced a tender worth €2,822,815.20 for a four-year contract, with the option of a one-year extension. The planned service includes planting and replacement, nursery management and the care of more than 7,000 inventoried palm trees. This budget is for the overall contract, not the transplanting announced in October.

News prepared by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.