Urban Tree Forum 2023

With the onset of spring, we all head out into the many parks in Karlsruhe and enjoy the green foliage of the trees and the cooling effect of the urban greenery in Karlsruhe's streets. Urban forests and trees enrich our cities and bring nature and its biodiversity to our doorsteps. But our urban forests in Karlsruhe are under threat from climate change and increasing urbanization, among other things. Perhaps the tree on your doorstep is dropping its leaves? Are you wondering what effects increasing heat in summer and heavy rainfall events are having on the selection of tree species and the care of trees in the city? These and similar questions are being addressed by the GrüneLunge research project of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) together with the Horticultural Department of the City of Karlsruhe. Together, the project partners want to strengthen the resilience and adaptability of urban trees and forests and promote the exchange between scientific actors, municipal representatives and the population on this topic.

The GrüneLunge project cordially invited citizens to the first Urban Tree Forum on May 16, 2023 between 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. to exchange ideas with experts on topics relating to tree care, tree protection and the selection of tree species for new plantings. The aim of the urban tree forum was to eliminate possible discrepancies in urban tree care through the exchange between municipal stakeholders and interested citizens and to prevent them from arising in the future due to inadequate communication or transparency between the public and the city administration.

We presented the city's diverse activities and were particularly pleased to receive suggestions, proposals and questions from citizens. In addition, the participants had the opportunity to discuss the different requirements for and ideas about urban trees with city stakeholders. After a brief introduction to the project and the topic, an informal exchange took place between the city representatives and the public over coffee or tea at themed tables.