Ipswich has achieved Tree City of the World (TCotW) status for the third year in a row, from the international programme which recognises work to manage and maintain urban forests and trees.
Now boasting a tree canopy cover of 15.51%, Ipswich is one of just 170 cities from 21 countries to receive this special recognition and celebrates Ipswich as a leader in urban and community forestry in the UK.
Since first gaining TCotW status in 2021, a total of 10,667 trees have been planted in addition to the approximate 65,000 trees Ipswich Borough Council already has and maintains, reinforcing the Council’s dedication to growing and supporting an urban forest in the area.
Environmental charity Trees for Cities is the UK lead for Tree Cities of the World, and is a proud partner in helping promote this initiative to local authorities nationwide.
Run by the Arbor Day Foundation and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the programme focuses on creating more green spaces in urban areas by recognising the cities that do this well. Its shared vision is to connect cities around the world in a new network dedicated to adopting the most successful approaches to managing urban trees and forests.
The programme is a global effort to recognise cities and towns committed to ensuring that their urban forests and trees are well maintained, sustainably managed, and duly celebrated.
To earn the recognition of Tree Cities of the World status, Ipswich had to meet five core standards of urban forest management.
Councillor Phil Smart, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change at Ipswich Borough Council says:
“It’s fantastic to receive this news following a very successful tree planting season for our dedicated parks team.
We’d like to thank all the volunteers who supported us in planting 1,000 trees during Ipswich Loves Trees Week in February. We also had a very special tree planting in Bourne Park today of an oak sapling from Windsor Great Park, specifically selected by the Keeper of the Royal Gardens, to commemorate the coronation of HM King Charles III.
Achieving Tree City of the World status allows us to continue planting more trees each year and to develop our green spaces and award-winning parks to the benefit of the environment, wildlife as well as our residents and visitors for the future.”
