Binding standards for tree protection during construction - Wroclaw

@Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej Miasta Wrocławia

In 2019, the Wroclaw Green Spaces Authority in Poland launched binding standards for the protection of trees during ongoing construction works ('Karty informacyjne do standardów ochrony drzew w Inwestycjach Wrocławia'). The standards take the form of informational cards that give concrete instructions on, for example, how to protect trees during construction work or how to organise construction so that the root systems of trees are not damaged. The standards are binding on all areas that are owned and managed by the municipality, for organisational units of the municipality as well as all entities managing the properties on behalf of the municipality of Wrocław. The city promotes the standards among private investors, who can use them on a voluntary basis. The standards are one of the instruments designed to implement the city's Regulation on the Protection of Trees and the Development of Green Areas, which in turn supports the implementation of the Strategy Wrocław 2030, the city's masterplan.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Standards

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Air quality

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The goal of the standards is to keep the existing trees in the city of Wroclaw in good health and condition, and especially to ensure that trees do not become damaged during any construction and/or renovation works conducted in the areas that are managed by the municipality.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Wroclaw Green Spaces Authority (Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej Miasta Wrocławia)

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The informational cards about the standards are made legally binding by the power of an executive order of the president of Wrocław (Zarządzenie nr 1217/19 Prezydenta Wrocławia). The cards containing the standards were designed and written by an external expert from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences on behalf of the Wrocław Green Spaces Authority.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Researchers, university

Type of actor involvement:

The cards were designed by an expert from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences on behalf of Wroclaw Green Spaces Authority

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

Although the standards are binding for the municipality and the entities working on behalf of the municipality on municipal land, private investors are invited to implement the standards on the construction sites that they manage. To this end, the municipality organised events to promote the standards among private investors. The implementation of the standards is led by the Green Spaces Authority and supported by the municipality's Department of Sustainable Development.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

No information about the budget of the initiative was found.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

The cards mandate the investor to appoint a Dendrological Supervisor (Inspektor Nadzoru Dendrologicznego) who monitors how the requirements laid out in the cards are implemented on site. The Dendrological Supervisor meets with the developer's representative and the construction site manager prior to commencement of any construction work and then schedules regular visits to check how the tree protection standards are being implemented on site. The Dendrological Supervisor reports on the work carried out and the report will form part of the documentation necessary to legally complete the construction process.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The standards were immediately implemented on all sites managed by the municipality starting in 2019 to ensure an appropriate protection of trees found on construction sites. Previously, it was on construction sites that many of the trees in the city were being lost. Insufficient understanding of tree protection measures often led to destruction of trees during the construction process, or damage to the trees which would result in them dying within a few years after the construction was complete. This has been prevented since the standards were adopted. The cards have been since adopted and launched in other cities in Poland (e.g. Warsaw, Bielsko-Biała, Płock)

Success factors and lessons learned:

The cards have been designed in such a way that it is easy to find information in them while working on the construction site. They are written in clear language and each chapter is accompanied by a glossary to ensure all terms are understood correctly. They are richly illustrated and provide concrete information and guidelines. The information contained in the cards allow for the implementation of tree protection measures, without the need for a detailed on-site analysis which both increases the level of protection for trees and speeds up the investment process. The approach is also able to be replicated elsewhere, as has already been the case in other cities across Poland.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Prezydent Wrocławia (2019), ZARZĄDZENIE NR 1217/19 PREZYDENTA WROCŁAWIA z dnia 28 czerwca 2019 r. w sprawie ochrony drzew i rozwoju terenów zieleni Wrocławia. Available at: https://www.zzm.wroc.pl/userdata/2019-07-02-09-57-58/156206233162.pdf

ZZM (2022), Zarządzenie Prezydenta Wrocławia w sprawie ochrony drzew i rozwoju terenów zieleni Wrocławia, Available at: https://www.zzm.wroc.pl/pl/dzialania_zzm,366.html

Zielony Wrocław (2019), Drzewa - standardy ochrony przy inwestycjach . Available at: https://www.wroclaw.pl/zielony-wroclaw/wyjatkowa-ochrona-dla-drzew-we-wroclawiu

Aleksandra Zienkiewicz (2021), Jak chronić drzewa w mieście? Available at: https://kongresruchowmiejskich.pl/nasze-tematy/ekologia-miejska/item/109-jak-chronic-drzewa-w-miescie

Suchocka M. (2019), Karty informacyjne do standardów ochrony drzew w inwestycjach Wrocławia. Available at: https://www.zzm.wroc.pl/userdata/karty_informacyjne/163713231876.pdf

Further documents

Documents:

163713231876.pdf

Weblinks:

https://www.zzm.wroc.pl/pl/dzialania_zzm,366.html

Photos

@Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej Miasta Wrocławia