Tree Master Plan

Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Strategy, plan or policy development

The ultimate goal of the Tree Master Plan is for the city to enjoy a dynamic, healthy, biodiverse organism that is in abundant supply. A resource with lots of native species, a distinguishing feature that is mature, safe and sustainable, and which requires the best conditions for its development, adapted to the urban ecosystem. 1) To have a veritable green infrastructure with the maximum possible number of trees, connected to the environment (urban and natural); 2) To get the maximum environmental, social and economic use out of the city’s trees; 3) To have a biodiverse range of trees in good condition, that are protected, safe and stand out, thanks to highly efficient and sustainable management; 4) To have trees that are adapted to the climate and resilient in the face of global change; 5) To achieve harmony between people and trees, and increase the value that society attaches to trees (Ref 1). The City of Barcelona, with its Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Plan up to 2020 (City of Barcelona, 2013) is implementing a range of actions to bring nature into the city. The main objectives are to preserve and improve the natural heritage of the city and to conserve its biodiversity. This would ultimately bring environmental and social benefits for local people. With a similar vision, but with different solutions, the Trees Master Plan 2016-2035 (included among the several actions launched by the Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Plan up to 2020) has the overall aim of maintaining a well-managed, healthy and biodiverse woodland to improve green corridors and tackle the urban heat island effect (Ref 6). - Trees help to purify the air by eliminating atmospheric pollutants, mainly caused by motor-vehicle traffic and industry. These include ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and suspended particles (Ref. 2). - Trees help to minimise the acoustic pollution reaching people’s homes, in both real and perceived terms, because their crowns act as a barrier (Ref. 2). - The shade offered by trees and the humidity that vegetation gives off help to cool the atmosphere and lower temperatures during the hotter months. In winter, they also help to reduce wind speeds, which attenuates the drop in temperature and reduces the need for using energy to heat homes (Ref. 2)

The inclusion of technology as a support tool for the public planning and management of trees, and the entire green infrastructure, has become an essential municipal strategy for building up a more functional, smart network of urban infrastructures. Examples of actions related to the management of the tree population which can be included in this context are: smart irrigation, with a more efficient consumption of hydrological resources for maintaining plants and structured soils, and high-tech tree wells, which improve the living conditions for root systems. The proposals of the Master Plan for Barcelona’s Trees 2017-2037 are divided into ten strategic lines, which are put into practice through a range of specific actions (2). These 10 lines will be displayed by 46 actions and a range of associated tasks that have been prioritised considering mandates and the timing of actions for the coming years (Ref 3). There are 10 strategic action lines: 1. The arboreal heritage and biodiversity: Conserve the woodland making it more sustainable so that it forms a habitat for biodiversity. 2. Knowledge: Advance knowledge of the tree and of its values and services. 3. Communication and participation: Disseminate the services of trees among the citizens, making them a participant in its conservation. 4. Planning and connectivity: Plan trees as a more powerful, connected, and green infrastructure to give more services. 5. Preservation and protection: Preserve the woodland and its heritage and identity value and ensure its protection. 6. Trees' health: To take care of the health of trees by ensuring biodiversity and citizenship. 7. Vegetable material and plantation: to work for a good supply and good woodland planting. 8. Prunning and safety: Prune as little as necessary to ensure the safety of people and the proper development of the tree. 9. Soil: Provide trees with more volume of soil and of higher quality, developing strategies that make urban soil more permeable. 10. Water: sustainable management of the irrigation water to get maximum services. (Ref. 7)

• Local government/Municipality
• Citizens or community groups