City hall says 19,336 trees will go into empty street tree pits by the end of 2027, backed by a dedicated helpline, 100 monitoring staff and doubled water-tanker runs.Rome is to plant 19,336 new trees on its streets and in its squares, most of them by April 2027 and all by December 2027, under a €10 million plan presented at the Campidoglio on Tuesday.Mayor Roberto Gualtieri unveiled the plan alongside Sabrina Alfonsi, the city's environment councillor, and Giammarco Palmieri, chair of the city council's environment committee. Planting will run from October 2026 to December 2027 and will cover all of Rome's boroughs. Due to temperatures remaining high, most planting will begin in October, apart from some potted trees, which adapt to the ground more quickly. Preparation of the tree pits has already begun, with signs on the main roads to inform residents. Filling the gaps The trees will go mainly into street tree pits that are currently empty. A survey by the city's environmental protection department counted 6,315 empty pits, 2,657 that have been paved over, 189 flowerbeds and 8,310 stumps to be removed, as well as 1,865 dead trees. The aim is to rebuild all existing tree-lined streets. Some roads will get uniform rows, while others will be planted with a mix of species to encourage biodiversity. Species were chosen for their resistance to drought and pests. Holm oaks, privets and maples will make up most of the planting, alongside species rarely used in Rome, such as mastic and coral trees.   Helpline and monitoring The plan includes three further measures. A dedicated line on the city's 060606 contact centre will take reports from residents about urban greenery, operating daily from 08.00 to 20.00. Residents can also write to curadelverde@comune.roma.it. Gualtieri phoned the line during the press conference as a demonstration.   One hundred staff from the municipal company Risorse per Roma will monitor the state of greenery and the general upkeep of public spaces, flagging problems that need a quick response, the city said. The frequency of water-tanker runs will be doubled throughout spring and summer 2027, with particular attention to newly planted trees. Gualtieri told journalists that 74,000 trees had been planted in Rome since the start of his mandate four years ago, compared with fewer than 11,000 under the previous three administrations combined. "It is the biggest growth the city has seen in many decades," he claimed. He said the plan represented a "further leap in quality" and that climate change, with higher temperatures and long dry spells, makes trees more important for life in the city. Criticism Gualtieri addressed criticism over withered trees in Piazza Risorgimento, news agency ANSA reports. Tree mortality in cities averages 2.5 per cent, with a range of 1.5 to 3.5 per cent, he said, while Rome's rate is 1.6 per cent.   He described the debate as a campaign "based on a lack of knowledge of technical data". In Piazza Risorgimento, he said, drought and insufficient watering killed some plants. Gualtieri also said his administration had "inherited" the project for Piazza dei Cinquecento, outside Termini station.   He noted that it was carried out by the state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato and is not his favourite, adding that new trees will be planted as part of a revised plan for the adjacent bus terminus, by November.  Photo credit: Mistervlad / Shutterstock.com

Rome is to plant 19,336 new trees on its streets and in its squares, most of them by April 2027 and all by December 2027, under presented at the Campidoglio on Tuesday. Mayor Roberto Gualtieri unveiled the plan alongside Sabrina Alfonsi, the city's environment councillor, and Giammarco Palmieri, chair of the city council's environment committee. Planting will run from October 2026 to December 2027 and will cover all of Rome's boroughs. Due to temperatures remaining high, most planting will begin in October, apart from some potted trees, which adapt to the ground more quickly. Preparation of the tree pits has already begun, with signs on the main roads to inform residents. The trees will go mainly into street tree pits that are currently empty. A survey by the city's environmental protection department counted 6,315 empty pits, 2,657 that have been paved over, 189 flowerbeds and 8,310 stumps to be removed, as well as 1,865 dead trees. The aim is to rebuild all existing tree-lined streets. Some roads will get uniform rows, while others will be planted with a mix of species to encourage biodiversity. Species were chosen for their resistance to drought and pests. Holm oaks, privets and maples will make up most of the planting, alongside species rarely used in Rome, such as mastic and coral trees.   The plan includes three further measures. A dedicated line on the city's 060606 contact centre will take reports from residents about urban greenery, operating daily from 08.00 to 20.00. Residents can also write to curadelverde@comune.roma.it. Gualtieri phoned the line during the press conference as a demonstration.   One hundred staff from the municipal company Risorse per Roma will monitor the state of greenery and the general upkeep of public spaces, flagging problems that need a quick response, the city said. The frequency of water-tanker runs will be doubled throughout spring and summer 2027, with particular attention to newly planted trees. Gualtieri told journalists that 74,000 trees had been planted in Rome since the start of his mandate four years ago, compared with fewer than 11,000 under the previous three administrations combined. "It is the biggest growth the city has seen in many decades," he claimed. He said the plan represented a "further leap in quality" and that climate change, with higher temperatures and long dry spells, makes trees more important for life in the city. Photo credit: Mistervlad / Shutterstock.com