CA20132 - Urban Tree Guard - Safeguarding European urban trees and forests through improved biosecurity (UB3Guard)

Green infrastructure, including urban forests, has been proposed by European Commission as a strategy to support climate adaptation capacity and sustainable development in the urban areas where over 70% of the EU’s population live. Alarmingly, the green infrastructure and especially its characteristic elements, trees, are increasingly threatened by alien pests (insects and pathogens) that are introduced via trade and transports. In a new environment, these pests may become invasive, causing devastating environmental and economic losses, and threatening also unique cultural values such as those linked to veteran trees. The current biosecurity system fails to capture alien pests that often also benefit from the altered climate. New tools and better integration of different knowledge pools are urgently needed to support better biosecurity in urban settings. The Action will bring together a pan-European and international network of scientists and stakeholders to meet this challenge. The network will 1) Collect, share and harmonize scientific and stakeholder knowledge, 2) Accelerate development of innovative technological tools and solutions for biosecurity purposes, 3) Inform policy and support implementation of the EU plant health regime while providing science-based recommendations for decision makers, especially at operational levels, 4) Foster an inclusive and open research environment, with explicit support to young professionals, and 5) Increase European competitiveness in the field of biosecurity, improving also the quality of everyday life for people, especially urban dwellers, in Europe and beyond. A co-created Wiki database, teaching tools for education in urban forest health, and a decision support tool will ensure the long-term impacts of the Action.