Barking and Dagenham recognised as a ‘tree city of the world’

Barking and Dagenham currently has more than 74,000 planted trees

Barking and Dagenham has been praised for it’s greenery, as it receives recognition for being a ‘tree city of the world.’

The international programme, which launched last year, celebrates cities across the world that meet core standards for the care and planning of urban trees and forests.

Despite Barking and Dagenham not specifically being a city, their accolade received the backing of the scheme’s organisers, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with the Arbor Day Foundation.

This honour makes the borough one of only five locations named in the UK as part of the international programme. Others include Birmingham, Bradford, Camden and Ealing.

Worldwide, other locations that have been recognised for their greenery include Toronto, New York City and Paris.

The borough also currently has more than 74,000 planted trees and around 9,000 streets have trees on them.

There are currently 28 parks in the area and over 460 hectares of public open space available.

Barking and Dagenham was also given 272 trees from the government’s Urban Tree Challenge Fund and the Mayor of London’s Greener City Fund.

Cabinet Member for Public Realm, Councillor Syed Ghani, said: “We want to be the green capital of the capital, so seeing the borough’s name up alongside international cities such as Milan and Madrid, is a step in the right direction.

“Trees have a variety of benefits for us all, and that’s why we’re investing in our green spaces in Barking and Dagenham and creating a place where people want to work and live.”