Nalchik City Hall promised residents to preserve the alley.

The green space on Karashaeva Street, where more than 30 coniferous trees were cut down, will be restored, officials promised. They abandoned plans to widen the roadway after meeting with residents.

As reported by "Kavkazsky Uzel," work to widen the roadway began on January 5th on Karashaeva Street in central Nalchik. The plan called for the felling of approximately 70 coniferous trees; within 24 hours, workers had cut down more than 30 of them. On the afternoon of January 6th, the head of Kabardino-Balkaria, Kazbek Kokov, ordered the work suspended in response to complaints from residents. Investigators have launched an investigation into allegations of illegal logging.

On January 7, a meeting was held at Nalchik City Hall with members of the initiative group and residents of Karashayev Street, who had successfully secured a halt to the widening of the roadway and the felling of trees. The meeting lasted approximately three hours and was attended by approximately 100 concerned citizens, according to a publication by the Platforma Urban Development Institute, which is subordinate to Nalchik City Hall.

Following the meeting, it was decided to modify the work plan “in order to maintain the existing conditions of two-lane traffic and green space,” said the head of the administration, Taimuraz Akhokhov.

“The planting of new blue spruce trees is planned, as well as an additional inspection of the remaining trees together with representatives of the initiative group. If necessary, that is, if trees in unsatisfactory condition are identified, they will be replaced with new ones,” Akhokhov wrote on his official Telegram channel.

He also added that the issue of upgrading Baysultanov Street to standard was discussed at the meeting. A decision was also made to further revise the project. "The goal is to minimize the necessary tree felling along Baysultanov Street. After revising the project and making adjustments, a re-discussion of the work plan with activists is planned," he concluded.

Residents and activists supported the decision to abandon the roadway widening. "This street doesn't need four 10-meter lanes. It needs two lanes, both near the bus stops and on the side of the road for parking (...) There are retail outlets and coffee shops all around, places where people drive, and parking spaces are needed. Therefore, after the reconstruction, the roadway should be reduced to two wide lanes and long parking pockets. Then you can keep all the trees, and the existing, normal bus stops can be left without destroying or removing them," wrote Alexander Solovyov under a post on the mayor's office's Telegram channel. "Such correct decisions require thought, but the city has been left to complete ignoramuses," wrote Madina M in response.

Reconstruction of Baysultanova Street will begin on January 12th. "Spot tree felling is expected," but before the work begins, a preliminary analysis will be conducted. Specialists, working with a citizen initiative group, will identify specific trees that must be cut down due to their deterioration and poor condition, reports Platforma Nalchik. "We believe that mistakes will be corrected and that this will be the last such precedent in our city," the channel's publication states.

To compensate for the lost greenery on Karashaeva Street, established trees will be planted, noted researcher Stas Kushchev, member of the youth policy council under the head of Kabardino-Balkaria. "All the trees that were cut down will be compensated: full-size trees of the same type, not saplings, are planned to be planted in their place. (...) I am very glad that we have so many concerned citizens; together we are strong," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

The participants in the meeting with Akhokhov "were very emotional," noted journalist Marina Bitokova. "But dialogue nevertheless took place. And it was very important for us to know that we were heard and listened to," she noted in a post on her channel "Evening Wind."

The author of the Telegram channel about urbanism "City for People," which has over 45,000 subscribers, recommended that the mayor of Nalchik initiate a program to restore green spaces, noting that "it is precisely these kinds of conflicts that often force cities to reconsider their approaches."

“For example, ‘100,000 trees for the city.’ You clearly saw that residents value a comfortable city, not new cubic meters of asphalt—take advantage of this! And go down in Nalchik history not as a road construction manager, but as a person who truly changed the city for the better,” the publication states.

“Caucasian Knot” also wrote that in May 2024, a Nalchik resident complained about the felling of about a dozen coniferous trees in the city center. It was claimed that the trees were cut down as part of the redevelopment of Nalchik’s center. Other residents, commenting on his post, noted that vegetation is constantly being cut down in Nalchik, and the authorities are not responding to complaints.