How Cities Can Protect Trees On Private Land
Regulations and incentives to promote tree planting and protection
Credit: This article is based on the scientific article “International approaches to protecting and retaining trees on private urban land” by Camilo Ordóñez and colleagues (Full citation and link available at the end of the article)
Deforestation is currently an important topic, as the health of our planet is affected when trees are cut down. This is for example because they convert CO2 into oxygen; with fewer trees, the green house gas effect becomes stronger. This effect means that gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2, trap the sun’s heat and warm up our planet.
Although deforestation is especially discussed in rural areas, trees are also important in cities. They have many advantages, including that they make residents feel better because they can connect with nature, regulate the temperature in the city, and reduce air pollution. This is why many cities make tree planting programs or set ambitious canopy cover targets. To put these plans into practice, many local governments choose a holistic approach, meaning they take both publicly and privately owned trees into account.
In many cities, especially cities with many suburbs, more trees grow on private than on public land. Local…
