City's care for urban forest among the best in the world

There were only 199 cities in the world recognised by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for excellence in urban forest maintenance. But now there are two hundred. As a result of its efforts to expand and adopt best practices, Porto is now part of the international network Tree Cities of the World.

To be part of this group, the city demonstrated its commitment by meeting the programme's five standards: the responsibility for tree care, the establishment of rules to govern the management of forests and trees, the maintenance of an updated inventory or assessment of local tree resources, the allocation of resources for a tree management plan and the awareness raising and involvement of residents.

For the Deputy Mayor of Porto, 'the city has been actively working to expand the green areas available throughout the territory, as well as to increase the number of species'.

'This effort',Filipe Araújo stresses, 'is not just focused on the numerical result, but also prioritises quality parameters, encompassing the use of best practices throughout the various interventions, from planting to pruning, ensuring the conservation and preservation of this priceless heritage'.

Being also responsible for the Environment and Climate Transition, 'this recognition validates the dedicated work undertaken by the Municipality of Porto over the last few years'.

It's worth remembering that, this year alone, more than 2,500 new trees have been planted, making Porto's urban forest a heritage of around 67,000 species.

The director of the Arbor Day Foundation, Dan Lambe, adds that 'being recognised by Tree Cities of the World means that the city is committed to going the extra mile to define trees as critical green infrastructure for its citizens'.

The main aim of the programme is to promote the creation of more green spaces in urban areas, acknowledging the cities that do it well. It also offers a network of like-minded municipal leaders in urban forestry to celebrate and share best practices for cultivating green areas in the community.

The Arbor Day Foundation is the world's largest non-profit organisation dedicated to tree planting and works with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations since 2019 in a global effort to recognise cities and towns committed to ensuring that their urban forests and trees are properly maintained and sustainably managed.