Winter road salt remains on Vilnius streets through summer

Salt spread on Vilnius streets during winter has remained in place through the summer, LRT reports. Arborist and urban tree protection activist Ligita Poškutė has measured salt concentrations and warned that they could have serious consequences for the city’s natural environment.

Salt deposits across the city

“If you licked it, it would be very salty. It is salt,” Poškutė said, pointing to deposits on a pavement on Pylimo Street near the MO Museum. White patches of salt are also visible near Halė Market.

LRT reported last year that salt spread during winter had failed to dissolve even during the summer. The situation has repeated this year.

Poškutė measured salt concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 8 grams per litre of water. She said both the city authorities and residents should consider the consequences of keeping pavements free of ice by spreading large amounts of salt.

“In winter, I like walking when it is not slippery. I walk at the same speed as in summer and do not think about it. But we need to think about the consequences,” she said.

Arborist maps dead trees

At the location Poškutė showed, a pedestrian zone is separated from a busy street by bushes planted by the municipality. Nothing grows along the edge, where passing cars splash water containing salt during winter.

Environmental experts identify salt and careless treatment of trees during construction and renovation work as the main reasons why mature urban trees die unexpectedly.

“During droughts, because of salt and damaged roots, trees cannot absorb water. They survive while there are rainy periods, but spring was very rainy and washed the salts away. The first drought reveals the real situation,” Poškutė said.

She also predicted that many trees on Pylimo Street between Naugarduko Street and the synagogue would soon be cut down. They are currently producing individual leaves, but that does not mean they will survive. Browning leaf edges are one warning sign.

“When you see light green leaves, the tree is still trying to grow, using buds that should only open next spring. If those also dry out, and they certainly will, that is the end of the tree,” Poškutė said, pointing to a tree at the intersection of Pylimo and Naugarduko streets.

She has started creating a map of dead trees in Vilnius, which currently includes about 250 trees. Poškutė believes that number could double by the end of the season if droughts occur.

She urged Vilnius authorities to pay more attention to mature trees, which provide shade, saying newly planted saplings cannot replace them.

Municipality says it aims to reduce salt use

Vilnius City Municipality said reducing the amount of salt used on pavements and cycle paths was a long-term goal.

However, the figures provided by the municipality show that about the same amount of salt was spread this year as last year: 23,500 tonnes. During the 2024 to 2025 winter season, 26,900 tonnes were used, while 52,200 tonnes were used during the 2023 to 2024 season.

The municipality also said the use of crushed stone was increasing. A total of 2,775 tonnes was used during the latest season, compared with 1,237 tonnes the previous year and 70 tonnes the year before that.

“We see that Vilnius residents have responded positively to this change, so it is planned to continue in the coming seasons,” the municipality said.