Sixteen thousand plants in the city, over five thousand tons of CO2 removed and two hundred tons of oxygen produced. These are some of the data regarding the number and impact of trees in Trento that were published yesterday by the Municipality: «The balance between trees cut and planted is presented every year and is an integral part of the arboreal balance that will be published at the end of the mandate – explains Giovanna Ulricihead of the municipal service Road and Park Management office – The data in the last three years have always been positive, and also for this first half of 2024 we are faced with significant numbers, also thanks to the important support given by the ministerial funds for climate adaptation. Since January we have planted 293 new trees belonging to 48 species and 96 different varieties. In particular, 78 plants were planted in the historic gardens of Piazza Dante and Giardino Garbari to enrich and preserve the continuity of the botanical collection present there, we are talking about trees that are not easy to find. The remaining 215 were planted in other city parks, behind this intervention there is also the work of colleagues and interns to identify the right species to plant».
The numbers were measured thanks to the tree censusa project that the Municipality has created to comply with the regulatory obligation to register and map the various trees planted in the city: «We started from the census, according to which there are just over sixteen thousand trees in the city – says Francesca Alba of the parks and gardens office – From here, through a software called I Treean analysis was carried out to understand how much carbon and how many pollutants these trees are able to retain. On average, we can say that each of them is able to retain 75 tons of carbon per year, a number that increases as the size of the tree grows, for a temporary total of about 5,450 tons of carbon stored per year. As for the amount of rain that our trees are able to retain to slow down the phenomenon of “runoff” during precipitation, it is five thousand cubic meters of water per year. This is an important piece of data to minimize the risk of floods”. An experiment is also underway to ensure that these quantities increase further: “In collaboration with other Italian cities, We created digital twins of 711 trees using artificial intelligence, recreating a 3D photocopy of them – Alba continues – This allows us to evaluate the state of health and calculate in the most detailed way possible the ecosystem parameters favorable to their growth, to increase the quantities of stored carbon». Again thanks to ministerial funds, the Municipality in collaboration with the company Talking nat and Professor Nicola La Porta of the Edmund Mach Foundation has created a seven-episode podcast to learn about some of the species present in the city. Satisfaction for the data communicated by the Administration: «We know how plants play a fundamental role both in adapting to and mitigating climate change – comments the municipal councilor Giulia Casonato – There are many actions that we as a Municipality do on this front, it is important to know these numbers and their impact on the city we live in”. The mayor also shares the same opinion Franco Ianeselli: «It is our response to the recurring controversy of too many trees cut down – says the mayor – We have a positive balance and a responsible attitude on the part of those who take care of this aspect, the invitation is to trust the tools that we as a Municipality have to monitor this situation».
