Selecting Trees for the Future
Research Project
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Project Size: 3,831,478 SEK
Project period: 2025-2027
Project owner: Department of Biological and Environmental Science
Research Partners: Gothenburg Botanical Garden, City of Gothenburg
Short description: Humanity faces a triple crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing pollution. Urban trees can help counteract these challenges by providing critical ecosystem services, storing carbon, purifying air, regulating temperatures, and supporting biodiversity. However, cities present increasingly harsh environments for trees, including heat stress, drought, and pollution. Some species also release allergenic pollen, creating public health risks. As urban populations grow, particularly in Sweden and Northern Europe, tree selection must balance ecological function, climate resilience, and health outcomes. This project will co-develop an interactive tool for selecting tree species suitable for urban environments in Northern Europe. The tool will synthesise research on tree stress tolerance, allergenicity, biodiversity support, air quality improvement potential, and practical planning needs. It will be developed and tested with practitioners in the City of Gothenburg and adapted for use in other cities. By supporting evidence-based decisions, the project contributes to resilient, healthy, and biodiverse urban landscapes.
FUNDING
The project is led by the Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre (GGBC) at the Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg. The project, titled "Selecting Trees for the Future – An Interactive Tool for Sustainable Urban Planning," is funded from 2025-2027 by Formas.