Urban Trees for Berlin

, Berlin (FUA), Germany

City population: 4186143

Duration: 2012 – 2026

Implementation status: Ongoing

Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level

Project area: unknown

Type of area: Residential, Vacant or abandoned land

Last updated: November 2024

The city-wide project Urban Trees for Berlin was launched in 2012 with an ambitious goal: to plant 10,000 roadside trees within five years. This campaign, a key part of the Berlin Senate's Urban Green Space Strategy, is a collaboration between the Senate Department responsible for the environment and Berlin’s district authorities. Initially set to end in 2017, the campaign was extended through 2026. The project was created to address the loss of numerous roadside trees that were removed due to age, pests, climate stress, and other factors. Limited funds had been available to replace these trees, resulting in negative impacts on Berlin's urban climate, including higher temperatures and worsened air quality, which affect both residents and visitors. The campaign aims to reverse these impacts by securing funding for new trees, restoring greenery to the city streets, and promoting a lasting positive image of Berlin’s urban trees. The campaign operates on a co-funding model, where individuals, organizations, and companies donate €500 per tree (individually or collectively), with the Senate covering the remaining costs from the state budget (approximately €2,000 per tree). The planting schedule and locations are organized twice annually, with information shared online to keep the public informed. In 2022, a new assessment of the project’s progress was conducted, commissioned by the Senate to the Arbo-tec office. Around 1,000 of the 3,500 trees planted as part of the campaign by autumn 2022 were evaluated. The selected locations included plantings from all previous construction phases, spanning 12 Berlin districts, with each district having 80 trees assessed from various phases and construction lots. This comprehensive evaluation is intended to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the Urban Trees for Berlin initiative. (3, 4)

Planting new trees in a Berlin neighbourhood

Trees being planted

SenMVKU

Overview

Nature-based solution

Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Alley or street trees and other street vegetation

Key challenges

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Climate change mitigation
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Improving physical health
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Sense of community and community engagement

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

Climate-Related Hazards
Drought
Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
Extreme weather events (e.g. storms, hurricanes)
Other

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Urban reforestation, restoration of street trees, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Transformation of vacant land into green spaces, Strategy, plan or policy development, Creation of city-wide or neighborhood climate adaptation or mitigation strategies/programs

Project objectives

To increase the urban tree population by planting thousand of roadside trees (native species) by 2026 To enhance urban life quality, greenery, health, and recreational opportunities To replace removed or diseased trees, supporting a greener cityscape and re-greening of vacant lots To mitigate the adverse effects of climate change (heat stress) by expanding the tree population, which aids climate adaptation, combats high temperatures, sequester carbon, and supports biodiversity with and provides habitat for flora and fauna To engage the public in the campaign (1-4)

Implementation activities

The City Tree Campaign is a collaborative project between the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment and the Berlin Districts. The Senate Department oversees the campaign, managing tenders, hiring planting companies, handling public relations, and administrating finances, including donations and public funding applications. Districts identify suitable planting sites and support the process. The campaign also involves the public and businesses in fundraising to increase the city's tree population. Trees are planted twice a year, in spring and autumn, in designated districts across the city. Between planting periods, individuals and organizations can donate to support the financing of trees, either individually or collectively. The campaign provides clear information on the planting and donation schedules, which can be accessed on its website, along with the results from previous years. Since its inception, nearly 2.5 million euros have been raised in donations. The trees are planted in vacant green or grey areas, primarily in residential districts, throughout Berlin. To ensure the trees' long-term health, they are carefully maintained during the first few years after planting. Launched in November 2012, the campaign was initially extended until 2026 as part of the 2017 government program. By 2022, a total of 14,000 trees had been successfully planted. (2, 3)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect

Climate change mitigation:

Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Restore native species
Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

Regional government
Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The City Tree Campaign is a joint project of the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment and the districts of Berlin. The Department is responsible for organising the campaign, call for tenders, commissioning the companies that plant the trees, landscapers and tree surveyors, as well as PR work (advertising and hotline) and handling the finances (income, administration, accounting for donations, applying for public funding). The districts nominate available sites to be planted and provide support for tree planting. The government policy guidelines require the campaign to get the local population actively involved. In this respect, both Berlin residents and businesses are specifically invited to make donations. Companies are hired to plant the trees. (Ref. 1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown

... a national policy or strategy? Unknown

... a local policy or strategy? Yes (In July 2011, the Berlin Senate agreed to the “Urban Green Space Strategy”. On this basis, policy guidelines include the campaign City Trees for Berlin with the goal of planting and maintaining up to an additional 10,000 roadside trees in the next 5 years (2012 - 2017), to be partly financed by donations. (Ref. 1; Ref. 5))

Type of enablers

Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)

Financing

Total cost

€2,000,000 - €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

Public regional budget
Corporate investment
Private funding by citizens

Type of funding

Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Donations

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of land

Who provided the non-financial contribution?

Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Expected lowered local temperature
Enhanced carbon sequestration
Achieved enhanced carbon sequestration
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Achieved increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present

Economic impacts

Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

City of Berlin (n.d.). Press and Photos. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];

Urban Sustainability Exchange (n.d.). Berlin’s City Tree Campaign. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];

Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment (n.d.). Die Kampagne "Stadtbäume für Berlin". Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];

Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment (2022). Berliner Stadtbaumkampagne feiert 10-jähriges Jubiläum. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];

Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment (n.d.). Strategie Stadtlandschaft Berlin. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];

Every planted tree gets a sign that informs about the campaign

SenUMVK

Map of locations

https://stadtbaumkampagne.berlin.de/