A shared map helps neighbours care for Berlin’s trees

Neighbours in Berlin can check which street trees need water before taking a watering can outside. The Gieß den Kiez map combines council tree records, rainfall data and residents’ watering logs to help people coordinate their care.

Users can adopt a tree, record how much water they give it and see where others have helped. CityLAB Berlin reported around 12,000 active users in September. One volunteer reports less wilting.

The idea has a useful British parallel: Trees for Cities already runs a Watering Champions app to support residents working alongside councils. Berlin adds a shareable example of how public tree data can guide that effort; its code has been adapted in Leipzig and Magdeburg.

The map’s estimates and council records are imperfect, and volunteer participation does not establish how many trees survive because of it.

But making care visible gives neighbours a practical way to share the work, helping attention reach trees that might otherwise be overlooked.

Sources

• The Guardian — a volunteer’s experience
• CityLAB Berlin — how the map works and where it has been adapted
• CityLAB Berlin — September community update
• Trees for Cities — the UK Watering Champions scheme