Berlin to double tree count by 2040 in 3.2-bln-euro climate push

BERLIN - Germany's capital Berlin plans to more than double its number of trees to over 1 million in 15 years as part of a sweeping climate adaptation strategy approved by the state government on Monday.

Berlin currently has about 440,000 trees, and the new initiative aims to more than double that number by 2040, expanding the city's green cover to help it better withstand rising temperatures and extreme weather. Alongside tree planting, the 3.2-billion-euro (3.7 billion US dollars) plan includes upgrades to green spaces and improved rainwater management systems.

According to public broadcaster RBB, the effort follows years of decline in Berlin's urban forest. More trees have been felled than replanted annually. In 2024 alone, 5,280 street trees were cut down, while only 2,571 were replaced. The city's latest report on tree health found that more than half of inner-city trees are damaged, the worst condition since records began in 1979.

However, critics have derided the initiative as political posturing. Christoph Meyer, state chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), called the project "an absolute joke", arguing that "instead of investing in real future priorities such as education, digitalization and modern infrastructure, the money is literally being buried in the ground".?