Ever wondered what it takes to be just one of the tree cities of the world? Did you even realise that Birmingham has been named as one of the first of these cities?
“How did this happen?” you ask. Read on to find out more!
The Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) along with the Arbor Day Foundation have recently announced the first cities to be recognised under the ‘Tree Cities of the World’ programme. This programme has been devised to help with the creation of more resistant and sustainable cities.
So far, a total of 59 cities have been accredited ‘Tree Cities of the World’ and Birmingham is just one of those named! Along with those cities already recognised, over 100 others have pledged to take part. Any cities that want to be recognised will have to meet 5 core standards. These being:
Establish Authority – The community has a written statement by city leaders delegating responsibility for the care of trees within the municipal boundary to a staff member, a city department, or a group of citizens – called a Tree Board.
Set the Rules – The community adopts policies, best practices, or industry standards for managing urban trees and forests. These rules describe how work must be performed, where and when they apply, and penalties for noncompliance.
Know what you have – The community has an updated inventory or assessment of the local tree resource so that an effective long-term plan for planting, care and removal of city trees can be established.
Allocate the Resources – The community has a dedicated annual budget for the routine implementation of the tree management plan.
Celebrate Achievements – The community holds an annual celebration of trees to raise awareness among residents and to acknowledge citizens and staff members who carry out the city tree programme.
The programme is also aiming to create a worldwide network of cities that wish to share the experience and good procedures that help with a more sustainable management of urban forests & greens spaces.
Congratulations to the City of Birmingham! It’s a great achievement to be recognised for and we at Wharton especially want to congratulate you for being a forward thinking city who cares for its green infrastructure. We look forward to seeing other cities around the UK becoming recognised, following Birmingham’s lead!
