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The document summarizes how three cities - Melbourne, Australia, Montréal, Canada, and Portland, Oregon - are thoughtfully planting trees to promote biodiversity in urban areas and engage their communities. It notes that tree planting initiatives need to be well-planned to avoid potential negative consequences of displacing native species or overusing water supplies. Melbourne developed an online map of its trees and received thousands of "love letters" showing public appreciation for trees. Montréal is using felled ash trees to build furniture while raising awareness of trees' environmental benefits. Portland aims to plant 2 million trees by 2035 and remove invasive species.

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Kian Grimaldo
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43 views

6342

The document summarizes how three cities - Melbourne, Australia, Montréal, Canada, and Portland, Oregon - are thoughtfully planting trees to promote biodiversity in urban areas and engage their communities. It notes that tree planting initiatives need to be well-planned to avoid potential negative consequences of displacing native species or overusing water supplies. Melbourne developed an online map of its trees and received thousands of "love letters" showing public appreciation for trees. Montréal is using felled ash trees to build furniture while raising awareness of trees' environmental benefits. Portland aims to plant 2 million trees by 2035 and remove invasive species.

Uploaded by

Kian Grimaldo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Planting millions of trees has been pushed as the one-stop solution for biodiversity loss and the climate

crisis. But, does it live up to the hype? Researchers from the and  recently published a recommending
that tree planting initiatives be thoughtful and well-planned. Otherwise, the researchers say there could
be negative consequences including the displacement of native biodiversity, the destruction of non-
forest ecosystems and overuse of water supply. As stated, “If you plant the wrong trees in the wrong
place, you could be doing more harm than good.” Cities across the globe are using innovative tree-
planting strategies and community engagement techniques to highlight the importance of biodiversity
within urban areas. Here are 3 cities that are doing just that.

Photo by Michael Quinn from Michael Quinn/Canva

1. Melbourne, Australia

In recent years, Melbourne has caught the attention of municipalities worldwide for its focus on
community engagement. In 2013, Melbourne developed the Urban Forest Visual, a map of the 80,000
trees growing within the city limits. It details the age, species and health of the trees throughout
Melbourne’s roads and parks, as well as a tree-specific email address. While originally intended to help
with monitoring tree health, the email inboxes were filled with thousands of love letters for the leafy
residents. This display of appreciation and affection for Melbourne’s trees cemented the importance of
trees in urban spaces. Melbourne has also bumped its native biodiversity by replacing European elm and
London plane trees with native species such as eucalypts and lemon-scented gum trees.
Melbourne. Photo by GordonBellPhotography from Getty Images/Canva.

2. Montréal, Canada

Since the early 2000s, tens of millions of ash trees in North America have been killed by an invasive
beetle from Asia, the emerald ash borer. Most ash trees don’t stand a chance as this beetle kills  95% of
ash trees it infests. In 2019 alone, 40,000 ash trees in Montréal were cut down due to the invasive
beetle. But, local Montreal boroughs and non-profit groups have come together to give these felled ash
trees a new life while engaging with the community. A recently developed program teaches job-seeking
youth and adults to work with wood and in turn, they build flower boxes and public benches from the
downed trees. As part of a $17 million initiative to rebuild Montréal’s tree canopy, the city has also
launched an awareness campaign to increase public appreciation for ecosystem services delivered by
trees. In collaboration with the David Suzuki Foundation, each tree planted sports a tag detailing
its environmental and economic benefits. This includes the monetary value of each tree’s ability to
sequester carbon dioxide, absorb atmospheric pollution and reduce energy costs over 40 years.

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