To develop an urban forestry strategy with a holistic view of the territory, the research conducted a comprehensive analysis covering the entire Metropolitan City of Milan, based on cross-referencing data from various databases. Three interdependent systems were identified that effectively describe the complexity of the area and help to better articulate the potential impacts of a strategic proposal:
MAPPING
Mapping of the
Metropolitan City of Milan
System analysis of the
Metropolitan City
The anthropized system
This refers to the urban dimension and human activities, with mappings focused on land use and the distribution of permeable and impermeable surfaces. The Future City Lab of Politecnico di Milano developed a map that overlays data from the most up-to-date territorial tools, including: DUSAF (the multi-temporal geographic database of the Lombardy Region that classifies land based on major land cover and land use types), DBT (Topographic Database, which represents and describes topographic objects of the territory), and SIARL (the Agricultural Information System of the Lombardy Region).
The environmental system
This system is primarily composed of green spaces and tree cover. Tree canopy cover represents a vegetation density indicator used in urban forestry as an alternative to the number of trees, providing a more accurate depiction of the actual vegetation presence on the territory. It is an indicator that represents the projection of tree crowns on the ground. Once the overall tree canopy area is mapped—using satellite imagery and other GIS data sources—it is possible to estimate the number of trees. To do this, tree canopy data is cross-referenced with land use data, which provides planting density information, specifically the number of trees per hectare.
This work was conducted in 2018 by the Fausto Curti Urban Simulation Laboratory (Labsimurb).
It is estimated that there are approximately 10 million trees in the Metropolitan City of Milan.
The climatic system
The Metropolitan City of Milan is a region characterized by high average temperatures. The number of summer days when the maximum temperature exceeds 29°C has increased, as has the number of consecutive dry days and the frequency of intense weather events. The study of these variations, along with the mappings presented in the research, allows for the orientation of urban forestry interventions aimed at mitigating climate risks related to extreme temperatures and heavy rainfall. These efforts focus on addressing impermeable soils through depaving and planting trees in grey areas.
Potential
analysis
Following the mapping phase of existing conditions, the research also provides an estimate of the urban forestry potential within the Metropolitan City of Milan to validate the goal of planting 3 million trees.
The potential analysis enables the identification of different project focuses and their respective quantitative potentials, providing a valuable decision-support tool for planning interventions.
The goal of Forestami is to increase tree canopy cover by 21%.
Municipalities
collaboration
For the implementation of the project, extensive work is underway with the 133 municipalities that make up the Metropolitan City of Milan. The aim is to define the availability, priorities, and capacity for increasing the territory’s natural capital over the coming years, using an approach based on listening and networking all involved stakeholders (municipalities and parks, as well as farmers, landowners, environmental organizations, and private companies).
Following an expression of interest from a municipality and after a phase of discussions with technical and political administrators, Forestami organizes an operational meeting to develop the strategic project framework, implement urban forestry pilot projects, and gather data to enrich the territorial database of available areas.
As a result of these discussions, a Master Memorandum of Understanding is created to formalize the municipalities’ participation and initiate collaboration with Forestami.
70 Municipalities have signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Forestami. (June 2024)
The interventions
of Forestami
The interventions carried out by Forestami are designed to complement the existing green system, both in urban areas and agricultural contexts, with the goal of increasing the natural capital of our territory, revitalizing the agricultural landscape, and making ecosystems richer in ecological connections and biodiversity.
Fondazione Forestami supports the design and implementation of the plantings, accompanied by a maintenance plan for the first 5 years of growth. View all the plantings here.
59 interventions have been already carried out. (June 2024)
The number of
trees planted
In addition to the interventions promoted, supported, and carried out by the Forestami Fund, a key component of the research work is collecting planting data from public entities and other local stakeholders, systematizing this information within an overarching framework, all working toward a common goal: increasing the natural capital across the entire territory of the Metropolitan City of Milan.
In the boxes below, the total number of trees planted is highlighted, broken down by agricultural season.
2018-2019 agricultural season
88,697
trees, forest plants and
shrubs planted
2019-2020 agricultural season
89,762
trees, forest plants and shrubs
planted (out of the 101,443 originally planned,
due to delays or cancellations caused by Covid-19)
2020-2021 agricultural season
122,201
trees, forest plants and
shrubs planted
2021-2022 agricultural season
127,860
trees, forest plants and
shrubs planted
2022-2023 agricultural season
131,481
trees, forest plants and
shrubs planted
2023-2024 agricultural season
50,082
trees, forest plants and shrubs
planted (to be updated)
