The 100,000 trees project

The 100,000 Trees Project for the Porto Metropolitan Area” intends to restore 100 hectares of urban forest with native trees.

1. Create and manage a flagship project to reforest the region with native species; 

2. Help manage urban forests with the goal of making a difference in the territory;

3. Create training and action opportunities for citizens with the goal of having a positive impact on people’s awareness and practical knowledge about trees and woodlands; 

4. Structure a volunteer program for reforestation and management tasks with a goal of contributing to social change and promoting public participation. 

5. Also, urban forests filter air, water and sunlight, moderate harsh local climates, cooling the air and slowing wind and stormwater runoff, reduce the urban heat island effect and air pollution, act as carbon sink against climate change, provide recreational opportunities, improve wildlife habitat and biodiversity and create other countless health, social and economic benefits.

• €100,000 - €500,000
• Public regional budget
• Private Foundation/Trust

Environmental impacts

• Climate change
• Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
• Enhanced carbon sequestration
• Environmental quality
• Improved air quality
• Green space and habitat
• Increased green space area
• Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
• Reduced biodiversity loss

Economic impacts

• More sustainable tourism
• Generation of income from NBS

Socio-cultural impacts

• Social justice and cohesion
• Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
• Improved access to urban green space
• Increased opportunities for social interaction
• Health and wellbeing
• Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
• Cultural heritage and sense of place
• Protection of natural heritage
• Education
• Increased support for education and scientific research
• Increased knowledge of locals about local nature

By June 2011, after several meeting rounds, the project was able to bring together the basic resources needed for the startup phase: 

(1) eight planting areas (public and private; in mountain, urban, and riverside areas) totaling around 40 hectares, 

(2) human resources for planting and management (these forest management teams resulted from the cooperation between landowners associations, the central government and municipalities), 

(3) indigenous tree seedlings (from state nurseries, through a partnership with a non-governmental organization), and 

(4) a growing goodwill movement to help with the planting and management (NGO, schools, companies and organizations with social responsibility departments). The main implementation phase of the 100.000 trees project started in September (training) and October 2011 (planting).

None provided

The FUTURE - a project of 100,000 trees in the Porto Metropolitan Area - is a planned and coordinated effort of various organizations and citizens to create and maintain native urban forests in this region, which needs to enrich its biodiversity, sequester carbon, improve quality of air, protect their soil and contribute to a better quality of life for regional people. The 100,000 Trees Project for the Porto Metropolitan Area” intends to restore 100 hectares of urban forest with native trees.

1. 100milarvores (no date), Futuro, o projecto das 100,000 arvores,(website of the intervention), Available at Source link (Accessed 22-6-2020) 

2. United Nations Climate Change (no date), The 100,000 Trees Project - Portugal, Available at Source link (Accessed 22-6-2020) 

3. Pinto, M. et al (2016), Urban Forest Governance: FUTURE—The 100,000 Trees Project in the Porto Metropolitan Area, Available at Source link (Accessed 22-6-2020) 

4. Grupo de Estudos Ambientais | Universidade Católica Portuguesa (2016), Balanço 2011-2016, Available at Source link (Accessed 22-6-2020) 

5. Grupo de Estudos Ambientais | Universidade Católica Portuguesa (2016), Monitoring results, Monitorização , Available at Source link (Accessed 22-6-2020) 

6.Projeto 100 mil arvores (2018), 8 years and 100,000 native trees after, Available at Source link, (Accessed 31-7-2020)