"Congratulations on having once again earned this flattering title," the organisers wrote in announcing the Tree City of the World award. The title is awarded annually by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) within the Tree Cities of the World programme.

Our capital Ljubljana, which is very aware of the importance of trees for the city, society and individuals, received the award for the third year in a row. It was already recognised as a Tree City of the World in 2019 and 2020, while in 2021, besides Ljubljana, 137 other cities from 21 countries were awarded the title.

Ljubljana has thus become part of an important global network paving the way for the efforts to care for urban forests and urban trees. "The Municipality of Ljubljana (MOL) is proud to have once again been commended for its activities and measures to ensure that the 2016 European Green Capital is truly and literally green," the Municipality stated in a press release.

The funds earmarked for trees in 2021 exceeded the amount provided in 2020 by more than EUR 100,000, which is an increase of almost 25%. This amount was mainly spent for the planting of new trees and for tree pruning. "We have also paid special attention to the integration of various publics in raising awareness and caring for trees. We would therefore like to thank the wider local community, schools, kindergartens and various other individuals who have participated in these activities. We all deserve credit for being able to celebrate Ljubljana’s achievements, such as the World City of Trees title," emphasised the Municipality.