Ljubljana - With 1,080 new trees being planted in Ljubljana in 2021 and 230 more planned this spring, the Slovenian capital had no problems staying on the list of Tree Cities of the World, compiled by the Arbor Day Foundation Food and the UN Agriculture Organization.

Ljubljana has made it to the list, which features 137 cities for 2021, for the third year in a row. Municipal representatives responded by pointing to the importance of trees for the city, society and individuals.

"Ljubljana is part of an important global network that is paving the way when it comes to care for urban forest and trees in cities," they wrote.

Investment into trees in the capital increased by 25% in 2021 compared to the year before, mostly on account of new trees and pruning.

A recent report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) showed Ljubljana is among the capitals with the highest ratings in Europe in terms of urban tree cover and total green infrastructure, while it is sub-par in terms of public access to the city's abundant green spaces.

In terms of the percentage of urban tree cover and total green infrastructure, Ljubljana ranked third among the EEA members' capital cities in both indicators with 67% and 50%, respectively. The only cities with more urban tree cover were Oslo (72%) and Bern (53%).