For the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the recognition of the city in 2020, Dordrecht has come up with a fantastic gift for its inhabitants: greenery in the form of trees. To mark the year, Dordrecht is planting 800 trees, spread over four projects: a ‘Chestnut Arboretum’ in the city, three ‘Tiny Forests’, trees along the N3 and, as a special campaign, the city will be giving 80 anniversary trees away to its inhabitants.

Individuals, companies, schools or organisations had the opportunity to register for one of the 80 free anniversary trees, which would then be planted in their own garden in order to make the city greener. Ebben Nurseries worked with the municipality to put together a great collection of 10 ‘City Trees’ and 10 ‘Future Trees’, from which the inhabitants could make a choice. A ‘tree passport’ was created for each species, with practical information about the appearance, characteristics and care of the tree. And with the help of some preconditions and a decision tree, inhabitants could find the tree of their dreams. A successful project, all the trees are now reserved.

“Dordrecht is an island with lots of nature, trees and greenery. We love that. We are proud of it and it we cherish it. A tree offers a lot of advantages. Trees make an important contribution to the quality of the living environment. They take in CO2 and breathe out oxygen. They provide shade, absorb particulate matter and dampen noise. Trees offer cooling in hot summers and store water after heavy rainfall. And they also create biodiversity. In short, a wonderful celebration for our city on its 800th birthday!”
Municipality of Dordrecht