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Fundacja EkoRozwoju

FER

Created in 1991, Fundacja EkoRozwoju (FER, Foundation for Sustainable Development) aims to promote sustainable development.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Protecting biodiversity: nature restoration targets

27 Nov 2020

Trees in open landscapes, particularly avenues (trees along roads and waterways) should be restored as an important - yet threatened - green infrastructure, contributing to climate change adaptation and biodiversity in Europe’s rural areas. They constitute important ecological corridors and habitats, including a Habitat Directive priority species Osmoderma eremita and numerous other invertebrates, birds, mammals, lichens and fungi. Europe lost millions of these trees due to road upgrade and modernisation of agriculture. Tree avenues are also an important element of Europe’s cultural landscape and monuments of civil engineering. The EU initiative to plant 3 billion trees in the EU is challenged with limited planting opportunities in forests and on marginal agricultural land. Meanwhile, 6 million km of Europe’s road verges and canal banks offer uncountable excellent locations for planting a good part of the said 3 billion trees. AS PART OF NATURE RESTORATION EFFORTS, TREES SHOULD BE PLANTED ON ROAD VERGES, CANAL AND RIVER BANKS, DIKES AND DAMS, WHERE TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE, AND PROPERLY CARED FOR. Preservation of existing trees where possible should be required in procedures for road construction projects. Excessive traffic safety concerns should not be allowed to overrule the climate, biodiversity, and landscape benefits of roadside trees. JUSTIFICATION Planting 3 billion additional trees in Europe is not possible in the framework of forest management and afforestation sectors. Foresters replant the logged sites anyway, as part of good forestry practices. Most of agricultural land stays stably under cultivation due to CAP measures. Majority of marginal, abandoned, or degraded lands have already been covered by forests, largely due to EU-supported measures. We also need to keep in mind, that of ca. 10 000 trees planted on 1 ha of a clearcut or reforestation area, only ca. 300 survives to maturity. This means, of 3 billion trees planted as forest, only 90 thousand will live. In the largely deforested Europe, important ecosystem services are provided by trees outside forests - the key part of green infrastructure in both urban and rural areas. They are crucial for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Urban trees make life in cities possible and those in rural landscapes protect agricultural production from drought, wind, and flooding. Trees support preservation of biological diversity serving as both habitats and ecological corridors in rural and urban areas. Green infrastructure composed of trees, permeating man-made landscapes of Europe, not only connects biodiversity hotspots, it is the hotspot of biodiversity. In these environments, ancient trees rich in biodiversity have better chance to survive than in forests managed for timber, hence also carbon store is kept longer. Using synergies between the green, grey and blue infrastructures maximises the benefits the trees offer for climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. Modernisation of roads has spelled the demise of many avenue trees. This phenomenon is most acutely illustrated by Germany, whose two parts for decades remained under different regimes. Comparing the former West Germany with the former East Germany, where the avenue heritage was preserved for a long period, provides a striking illustration of the devastating effects of previous development policies: even though the West is 2.5 times larger, its tree-lined roads cover nearly five times less distance than those in the East (5,200 km compared with 23,000 km). In France, the department of Seine-et-Marne, even though it is one of the most aware of its heritage, now has less than one tenth (17,500) of the number of trees planted along its roads in the late 19th century (200,000). Annihilation of roadside trees continues under pressure from road development and excessive traffic safety expectations.
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Response to EU Forest Strategy

27 Nov 2020

The Forest Strategy’s goal to plant at least 3 billion additional trees in the EU by 2030 is challenged with limited planting opportunities in forests and on marginal agricultural land. Meanwhile, millions of km of Europe’s road verges and canal banks offer excellent location for planting a good part of the said 3 billion trees. They will provide ecological connectivity, increase biodiversity, climate change resilience of agriculture and CO2 sequestration. Tree avenues along roads and waterways are important green infrastructures and should be explicitly included in the planting roadmap. Tree avenues along roads and waterways constitute important green infrastructure serving quality of life, biodiversity, climate change adaptation and mitigations. These rows of trees are also an important element of Europe’s cultural landscape and monuments of civil engineering. Therefore, we propose that, in the framework of the 3 bln trees initiative: 1. Trees will be planted on road verges, where technically possible. 2. Trees will be planted on canal and river banks, dikes and dams, where technically possible. 3. The planted trees will be properly cared for in early years, including professional pruning when needed to assure required clearance. 4. The existing avenues and rows of trees growing on road verges will not be removed without substantial justification, as they already are providing important environmental services. JUSTIFICATION Planting 3 billion additional trees in Europe is not possible in the framework of forest management and afforestation sectors. Foresters replant the logged sites anyway, as part of good forestry practices. Most of agricultural land stays stably under cultivation due to CAP measures. Majority of marginal, abandoned, or degraded lands have already been covered by forests, largely due to EU-supported measures. It is, therefore, necessary to reach out to open landscapes, particularly transportation infrastructures, to find planting areas for expansion of Europe’s green infrastructure. In the largely deforested Europe, important ecosystem services are provided by trees outside forests - the key part of green infrastructure in both urban and rural areas. They are crucial for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Urban trees make life in cities possible and those in rural landscapes protect agricultural production from drought, wind, and flooding. Trees support preservation of biological diversity serving as both habitats and ecological corridors in rural and urban areas. Green infrastructure composed of trees, permeating man-made landscapes of Europe, not only connects biodiversity hotspots, it is the hotspot of biodiversity. In these environments, ancient trees rich in biodiversity have better chance to survive than in forests managed for timber, hence also carbon store is kept longer. Using synergies between the green, grey and blue infrastructures maximises the benefits the trees offer for climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. Modernisation of roads has spelled the demise of many avenue trees. This phenomenon is most acutely illustrated by Germany, whose two parts for decades remained under different regimes. Comparing the former West Germany with the former East Germany, where the avenue heritage was preserved for a long period, provides a striking illustration of the devastating effects of previous development policies: even though the West is 2.5 times larger, its tree-lined roads cover nearly five times less distance than those in the East (5,200 km compared with 23,000 km). In France, the department of Seine-et-Marne, even though it is one of the most aware of its heritage, now has less than one tenth (17,500) of the number of trees planted along its roads in the late 19th century (200,000). Annihilation of roadside trees continues under pressure from road development and excessive traffic safety expectations.
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