Why Scotland’s cities need to treat trees as essential infrastructure |
Urban trees are more than decoration – they clean air, cool streets, reduce flooding and boost wellbeing. Yet Scotland’s towns and cities lack tree equity. Shireen Chambers argues it’s time to treat trees as essential infrastructure and put them at the heart of urban planning.
What if we treated trees like roads, schools or hospitals? What if we saw them not as “nice-to-haves” but as essential services - vital to the health, resilience and wellbeing of our cities?
Urban trees clean the air, cool streets, absorb floodwater and support mental health. Yet in many Scottish towns and cities, tree cover is uneven, and wealthier areas often have more trees than areas where there is higher social deprivation.
With rising urban temperatures and more frequent flooding, trees can be a frontline defence against climate impacts.
The public already understands their value. The 2025 Public Opinion of Forestry Survey found that 81% of people in Scotland think “a lot more trees should be planted.” Two-thirds want more woodland in their own communities. Nearly half would contact their local authority about problems with urban trees, and over a third are willing to plant and care for them themselves.
At Future Woodlands Scotland, we’ve spent the past few years listening, learning and laying the groundwork for change. And in 2024, we launched the Urban Forestry Programme - a ten-year commitment to expand Scotland’s urban tree........