We would like to encourage you to become a friend of trees!
No plants on this Earth are more imposing than trees, or more important for nature and human beings alike. Just like shrubs and herbaceous plants, trees (even the largest) begin their lives as tiny seedlings, from among which only a small fraction have a chance of survival. However, as they grow, they begin to gain the upper hand over other plants. This success they owe to the sizes reached, the resistance to external factors displayed, and of course a length of life sufficient to assure them of the status of multi-functional dominant features in the landscape. Likewise, in areas transformed by human activity, tall greenery can make a major difference that often goes underappreciated.
Meanwhile, trees are obviously among the key elements of green infrastructure that meet people’s needs and assure them of a far higher quality of life than they would have otherwise. However, the likelihood of trees functioning as well as they might is very much dependent on how good the care we extend to them actually is.
This means that a recognition and understanding of these exceptional organisms and the functions they supply is a first step towards a developing public commitment to a conscious and careful shaping of our surroundings, with full consideration given to the key role trees play.
It is possible to observe a disturbing trend for elements of tree cover in Poland to disappear, to the steady detriment of the landscape. However, on the plus side, more and more people are realising how this needs to change. And so we act to support this movement in society wanting to protect adult trees fully, and to plant new ones. We also encourage local authorities to take up different initiatives that serve the needs of trees.
What do we do for trees?
It is our key intention that those who wish to protect trees should possess the basic legal and biological knowledge needed to do that, as well as the knowledge and skill required to build public and community support for the protection efforts. We are currently leading a series of initiatives that help people make contact with one another and exchange experience, in this way upskilling and extending their knowledge, as well as offering their support to direct interventions in the defence of trees they wish to protect.
Forum Przyjaciół Drzew (the ”Friends of Trees” Forum)
For several years now, we have held annual, international meetings under the FRIENDS OF TREES FORUM title (FORUM PRZYJACIÓŁ DRZEW). These offer an opportunity for experience to be shared and exchanged, with each participant learning from all the others. The Forum formula also encompasses lectures and talks given by invited specialists (including from abroad). The opportunity to offer workshops and practical exercises is also provided. At the Forum, we look to decide on our responses to ongoing and new challenges involving tree protection, while also discussing good protective solutions, and good practice in informing local communities about the fates of trees, and getting them involved in decisionmaking, as well as cooperating over monitoring and management. We also discuss safety, risk management, and our fears for the continued presence of trees in urban areas.
Akademia Przyjaciół Drzew (the ”Friends of Trees” Academy)
We organise a series of training courses and workshops allowing people to raise their level of knowledge and their competences. Our latest idea is the ”Friends of Trees” Academy – an advanced training cycle for people wanting to achieve maximum effectiveness in the actions they take involving trees. This is a chance for levels of both knowledge and skills relating to trees and their roles to be raised, with topics also covering means of protection and ways of caring for trees, and what needs to be known and understood when new trees are planted. These elements are brought together during workshops, talks and fieldwork. Subjects raise in more detail include the role of trees and the threats they face, the foundations of correct diagnosis, legal aspects of the protection of trees, campaigning, and education in the name of trees. Training courses are organised in places attractive from the point of view of lovers of trees.
During our training courses, we also hand out copies of our compendium of knowledge on trees and their protection needs entitled Poradnik Przyjaciół Drzew (“A Guide for Friends of Trees”).
Intervention point
We also extend our direct substantive and technical support to any interventions in the name of trees you might get involved in. So, if you have a question, write to us or telephone, and we will endeavour to answer as quickly as possible, to the best of our ability. Please be aware, though, that supplying an answer might first require us to consult with specialists, including a lawyer.
Before you contact us, take a look at our publications! The more information on a threat you gather, the easier it will be for us to advise you on the proper steps to take, and the easier for you to actually take them. The form below should prompt the kind of information we may need if we are to intervene, with administrative proceedings launched, for example. If we think it helpful and possible, we will put you in touch with specialists, or with other defenders of trees in your area.
By clicking on the markers on the map you can find more details about our interventions defending trees.
Przy Instytucie Filologii Polskiej na zlecenie UWr dokonano pielęgnacji drzew rosnących w otoczeniu budynku. Pielęgnacja jednak objęła więcej niż 30%, a może nawet 50% korony. Fundacja EkoRozwoju wystąpiła z pismem do Miejskiego Konserwatora zabytków o nałożenie kary za zniszczenie drzew. Sprawa w toku.
Support for our Project is first and foremost assured by the EU’s LIFE Programme, as well as the Voivodeship Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Wrocław, Gdańsk and Poznań (Poland); Stefan Batory Foundation, the United Kingdom’s Charities Aid Foundation; and the Norddeutsche Stiftung für Umwelt und Entwicklung based in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The Project is also funded by donations from individuals and institutions, as well as from the Project partners’ own means.
