On 28 November 2022, the day when we commemorate the efforts of people who take care of trees in cities, we announced the Tree of the Year 2022.

The title was awarded to the Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) growing on the lawn of the Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia at the address Šlajmerjeva ulica 6. This year, citizens nominated 35 trees that, in their opinion, deserve the title of Tree of the Year. The expert jury then selected seven finalists, among which the citizens voted for the tree of this year – the title went to the Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) growing on the lawn at the Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia at the address Šlajmerjeva ulica 6, which was nominated by the centre itself. It received 494 votes, that is, just over 35% of all votes cast.

We put a »medal« on the Persian ironwood

At the announcement of the Tree of the Year, the Acting Director of the Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Peter Kavčič, emphasized that »we will continue to take care of the tree with pride, as it also represents the nobleness of our blood donors who respond to our campaigns. The award is also theirs, and I thank them once again. Nature also thanked them with this tree.«

Deputy Mayor Prof. Janez Koželj added: »Trees are living beings that live with us, and not only are they beautiful to look at, they also make cities more beautiful, keep us cool, clean the air and remind us that we too are part of nature. The city honours trees, and I want as many citizens as possible to honour them, as well.«

With the avenue »Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana« we promote cycling

After the announcement of the Tree of the Year, we planted a new tree avenue on the green area along the street Celovška cesta, on the section between the streets Ulica Jožeta Jame and Prušnikova ulica, comprised of 29 trees, which temporarily decorated the central stage of the 29th World Cycling Summit Velo-city Ljubljana this June. The trees created a more pleasant atmosphere in the halls of the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre and delighted around 1,300 conference participants. Already back then, we announced that we would plant these trees at a selected location in Ljubljana, where they would permanently provide shade, especially for cyclists and pedestrians.

We will plant around a thousand new trees this year as well

In Ljubljana, we always pay special attention to trees, as we are aware of their immense importance for the quality of life in the city, society and the individual. Our efforts are also confirmed by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which awarded Ljubljana the title of Tree City for the third consecutive year (2019, 2020, 2021) within the framework of the Tree Cities of the World program. Ljubljana is thus part of an important global network that paves the way in the field of care for urban forests and city trees. In the City of Ljubljana, we are proud to receive once again this commendation for our activities and measures with which we ensure that the best European Green Capital (we received the title in 2021) is truly green, literally.

We strive to preserve each tree in the city and continuously plant new ones. As part of regular maintenance, we plant up to 600 trees in public green areas every year. Many trees are additionally planted when renovating streets, roads and parking lots and designing new surfaces. We also care for fruit trees in city orchards and maintain city forests.

In 2021, we planted 1,080 trees, and this year too, we will plant around 1,000 by the end of the year. In total, we have already planted more than 40,000 trees.

In the springtime, within the framework of the campaign For a More Beautiful Ljubljana, as part of the campaign Man, take care of your city, we prepared messages about caring for trees. We always follow the professional guidelines in the field of tree management, which are published here, and we regularly raise awareness about them among different spheres of the public, land owners, contractors and other stakeholders.

By doing this, we also want to remind the owners of the land where the trees grow that it will be beneficial for everyone if they take care of the trees in line with these guidelines, thus extending their life span and thereby also improving the quality of living in the city.