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Berlin Racing to Add Trees to Meet New Climate Law Target

City officials say roughly 5,000 trees must be added by the end of 2027 to cover expected losses.

Overview

  • This week the Berlin Senate created a scientific advisory board and a steering group and said it will adopt a detailed implementation plan in June.
  • Municipal data show about 439,000 street trees at the end of 2025, leaving a small gap to the 440,000 legal target for end‑2027 and prompting the estimate of roughly 5,000 extra plantings to offset expected losses.
  • Recent municipal figures show a shortfall from more removals than plantings, with about 2,700 new trees planted versus roughly 5,600 felled in the last year, a trend the city must reverse to meet the law.
  • Officials propose a fast‑planting 'Schnellläufer' program, filling empty pits, new root‑removal machinery and digital coordination of street works, but critics warn missing budgets and unfilled specialist posts could delay delivery and raise costs.
  • Nurseries say they can supply several thousand trees a year but warn about species timing and a shrinking workforce, and officials say annual maintenance funding per tree must rise from about €83 to €120–140 to keep gains alive while the law sets a longer‑term goal of roughly 750,000 to 1,000,000 trees by 2040.