On September 23 and 24, 2026, Málaga hosted the 1st European Meeting of Tree Cities of the World (TCOW), an event gathering experts and municipal representatives from across Europe to discuss the importance of urban trees and forests. Under the slogan “For an urban forest without borders,” the meeting aims to foster knowledge exchange and promote greener, healthier cities.
During the sessions, participating cities presented their urban forestry projects and debated green infrastructure policies. The meeting, organized by the Arbor Day Foundation, the FAO, and other entities, is held alongside the 5th European i-Tree Conference, strengthening European collaboration in tree management.
In this context, Leganés participated in the European campaign EUTreeTag, highlighting the benefits of mature trees. The Councilor for Environment and Sustainability, Violeta Bonet, presented Leganés' evolution as a green city, transforming from a small village to an urban area with nearly 200,000 inhabitants.
The municipality currently boasts over 6,378,181 square meters of green spaces and approximately 150,000 trees. Key areas such as Polvoranca, Bosque Sur, Butarque, Los Frailes, Arroyo Culebro, Parque Central, and La Chopera were reviewed, with a focus on recovery projects.
The planting of new trees and the importance of citizen participation through popular planting initiatives and educational activities were also discussed. Leganés' transformation is part of its recent inclusion in the “Tree Cities of the World” program, promoted by the FAO and the Arbor Day Foundation.
As part of the initiative, over 1,000 trees from 278 European cities now feature informative labels explaining their ecosystem services, calculated using the i-Tree tool, which quantifies benefits such as stored CO₂ and oxygen produced.
