Wrexham continues to be a part of an international network of cities dedicated to fostering and promoting the best urban tree management practices in the world after being awarded Tree Cities of the World Status.
The announcement was made by the Arbor Day Foundation to recognise our growing, protection and maintenance of our urban forest here in Wrexham County Borough.
Wrexham accompanies Cardiff and Newport as the only other cities in Wales recognised with this honour and is one of only 200 cities in 22 countries around the world!
“Trees are important to people, no matter what country they are from or what language they speak, said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We all want to live in a city that is healthy, resilient, and beautiful – trees serve as a common language to make that possible. Being recognised in the Tree Cities of the World programme means that your city is committing to go above and beyond to define trees as critical green infrastructure for your citizens.”
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Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Planning and Public Protection said, “We are delighted that, once again, the city of Wrexham has been recognized as a Tree City of the World. We are proud to join a global network of towns and cities dedicated to protecting and enhancing their tree stock and promoting the values of trees through community engagement and good asset management.
“Our tree planting schemes throughout this previous autumn and winter have seen over (5,000 exact figure tbc) trees planted throughout the county. In locations such as Bradley, Coedpoeth and Wrexham and with the assistance of volunteers, we have planted a variety of tree species from native broadleaved whips to large standard trees, as well as several fruit orchards. This supports our ongoing and ambitious efforts to establish an increased canopy cover across Wrexham to 20%.
Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for the Environment,said, “Receiving the title of Tree City of The world for a second time is again, recognition for the repeated hard work and efforts of council staff and the vital contribution of members of the public in various communities over the last twelve months. Planting, protecting and managing trees is vital for our health and well-being and for our local economy.
“As a council, we again gratefully accept this prestigious recognition and we will continue in our commitment to the planting, protection and enhancement of the individual trees and woodlands which collectively create Wrexham’s urban forest.”
Tree Cities of the World recognition standards
We’ve earned recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City in the programme’s third year. To earn Tree Cities of the World recognition, Wrexham had to demonstrate its commitment by meeting five requisite standards:
- establish responsibility for the care of trees
- govern the assets and risk management of forests, woodlands and trees in accordance with an approved Tree & Woodland Strategy and Tree Management Policy
- maintain an updated inventory of our local tree and woodland resources
- allocate resources to achieve our tree strategy
- hold annual events celebrating trees and their benefits to educate schools and communities
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest non-profit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Both organizations came together in 2019 to found Tree Cities of the World. The programme is a global effort to recognise cities and towns committed to ensuring that their urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed, and duly celebrated.
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