‘Like caring for a pet’: the open-source tree map inspiring Berliners to water their urban forest
Gieß den Kiez app shows trees in critical need of watering and can be adopted by other heat-stressed cities around the world
TL;DR
- The Gieß den Kiez project uses an interactive map to help volunteers water street trees in Berlin.
- The platform tracks tree age, species, and local rainfall to calculate watering needs.
- Volunteers can see which trees were last watered and which are in critical need.
- The initiative complements official city efforts and has engaged 12,000 volunteers.
- Street trees provide essential cooling, support biodiversity, and improve mental health.
- The Gieß den Kiez system is open-source and can be adopted by other cities globally.