Senator Advances City's Green Agenda with Street Tree Approval - Impact of the Construction on the Environment: A Road’s Perspective
Hamburg, Germany, is making significant strides in the conservation, maintenance, and expansion of its street trees as part of an ambitious plan to improve the urban environment and combat climate change.
The city's tree care dates back to 1898 with the first building protection regulation, and today, over 230,000 trees line Hamburg's streets. The most common street trees in the city are summer linden, winter linden, English oak, maple, and red maple, but the city boasts a diverse tree population of 340 different species.
Urban tree conservation and maintenance are key priorities for Hamburg. The city meticulously plans maintenance activities to protect tree health and longevity within the city’s infrastructure, ensuring the provision of essential services such as shade, air quality improvement, and pollution filtration.
Expansion initiatives are also underway, with the city actively planting new trees along streets and in public spaces. This expansion supports habitat connectivity for urban wildlife and enhances green corridors, improving ecological resilience.
Hamburg’s street tree programs contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing urban heat island effects, sequestering carbon, and improving stormwater management through natural infiltration. Trees also help improve urban air quality by filtering pollutants.
These initiatives are aligned with Germany's national targets for biodiversity and sustainable urban development, promoting nature-based solutions. The city has invested an additional 5.5 million euros since 2024 to maintain and expand the tree population.
When a tree is felled in Hamburg, efforts are made to replant it in the same location. However, the CDU opposition has called for a reforestation offensive, stating that around 2,500 street trees have not been replaced since 2015, with over 17,000 missing on private property.
Torsten Melzer, from the city's tree management, emphasises the importance of preserving old trees, such as those over 100 years old with a crown diameter of 20 meters. Christina Wolkenhauer, the second state chairwoman of the German Nature Conservation Association, concurs, suggesting that the city should focus on preserving trees instead of planting new ones.
Environment Senator Katharina Fegebank (Greens) agrees, stating that old trees not only enhance the city's appearance but also perform vital functions such as shading, cooling, filtering pollutants, and absorbing CO2. She adds that the loss of old trees means the loss of numerous important ecosystem services.
In 2024, more street trees were planted in Hamburg than were felled, marking a trend reversal with the Senate now planting more street trees than it fells. The city was awarded "European City of the Trees" by the European Arboricultural Council for its achievements in preserving and caring for its tree population.
Hamburg's Museum der Natur includes exhibitions highlighting biodiversity and nature conservation, indicating public engagement and awareness raising around these themes. As the city continues to invest in its street trees and urban green spaces, it is clear that Hamburg is committed to a sustainable and green future.
- The city's tree care policies date back to 1898, focusing on preserving old trees like those over 100 years old with a crown diameter of 20 meters, a practice in line with environmental science.
- Urban green spaces in Hamburg, including street trees, play a significant role in mitigating climate-change, sequestering carbon, and reducing urban heat island effects.
- The growing trend in Hamburg involves planting more street trees than being felled, aligning with the city's ambition of improving the urban environment and expanding its diverse tree population as part of environmental-science initiatives.
- To further participate in the discussion of climate-change and sustainability, one can visit Hamburg's Museum der Natur, showcasing exhibitions on biodiversity and nature conservation, reflecting a shift towards a green and eco-conscious lifestyle in fashion-and-beauty, home-and-garden, and gardening practices.
