Ukrainian arboriculture in the shade of the war

Over last two years the war that Russia waged against Ukraine and whole Europe has dominated our image of that country. Many of us helped Ukrainian refugees. However, there is more to Ukraine than missile strikes against cities. In fact, millions of Ukrainians get up in the morning, drink their tea or coffee and head to work to make their country running. This includes arborists and tree officers who maintain urban green areas under reduced budgets and – in some cities – impacted by war destruction. Several arborists lost their lives for the country, nevertheless, the arborist community is striving to improve professional qualifications. Municipal sector makes efforts to improve outdated tree management practices, including translation and implementation of the European Arboricultural Standards. The change is supported by urban activists demanding that trees are better managed. An informal international network supports sharing knowledge with Ukrainian colleagues.  A course in tree assessment, for the first time in the country, was recently conducted by Tree Institute of Poland.