The City of Buenos Aires was recognized a Tree City of the World 2020 by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The award recognizes cities across the globe that are committed to the care and development of their urban trees, based on specialist international environmental standards.

Buenos Aires has several important measures in place that meet these standards, including: laws that define how to protect and take care of trees; a local government department responsible for the management of urban trees, woods and forests; an inventory that helps to establish an effective long-term plan for the planting and caring for the tree; a specific budget to carry out maintenance tasks and increase the number of trees in the city; and an annual celebration of the trees to raise awareness.

"Urban Trees are one of the essential components of our ecosystem. This is why it is of paramount importance that we work to maintain them, help them thrive in city environments and raise awareness of their importance," said Facundo Carrillo, Secretary for Citizen Attention and Community Management. "Trees provide innumerable environmental benefits for our residents: they moderate temperatures in summer and allow significant energy savings, reduce environmental pollution, reduce urban noise, and help mitigate the impact of storms, among may other elements,” he added.

In total, 120 cities from 63 countries have been recognized along with Buenos Aires, which is the first city in Argentina to receive this recognition. The city government's Directorate General for Green Spaces and Trees, together with the city's 15 communes are in charge of implementing the city's tree policies with a team of professionals and technicians from the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). 

“This international distinction, coming in the same week as C40 Cities' recognition of Buenos Aires as one of the three most climate-committed cities in the region, demonstrates the importance that we attach to climate action and environmental protection in Buenos Aires," said Fernando Straface, Secretary General and Secretary for International Relations.

According to the last census completed in 2018, 431,326 trees inhabit the plazas and pavements of Buenos Aires: 423 botanical species and over 250 arboreal species. The American ash is the most common species followed by the banana and the ficus benjamina.