On 8 November, the planting project initiated by Vilnius City Municipality, dedicated to “Vilnius – European Green Capital 2025”, was successfully completed on Stepono Batoro Street. During volunteer works in the spring and autumn, around 1,600 trees were planted here thanks to the joint efforts of Vilnius residents and companies. The newly planted area will become an important part of green infrastructure of Vilnius – it will help regulate the impact of climate change in the city, create more favourable conditions for biodiversity and contribute to the quality of residents’ leisure time.

“The importance of urban forests is enormous. They not only improve air quality and protect life-sustaining ecosystems, but they also give people the opportunity to escape the noise of the city in an instant and find peace in nature. The forest planted on Stepono Batoro Street, dedicated to “Vilnius – European Green Capital 2025”, is a striking example of how, working together, we can create long-term value for the city and ourselves in a short period of time,” says the Mayor of Vilnius City Valdas Benkunskas.

The forest was planted by the hands of city residents

Two volunteer events were organised to plant the city forest – one in spring and one in autumn. During the spring volunteer event, more than 500 Vilnius residents and 15 organisations planted around 1,300 trees specific to the local ecosystem: oaks, maples, ash trees, pines, birches, lindens and rowans. The remaining 300 trees were planted during the autumn volunteer event held this Saturday, which was attended by more than 300 Vilnius residents.

The environmental initiative organisation “Mes Darom” also joined the second stage. Participants not only planted trees, but also collected waste accumulated in the surrounding area, creating a clean and tidy environment for the future forest.

“This autumn, we are paying special attention to cleaning up the environment – in November in November there are many initiatives taking place in Vilnius and throughout Lithuania. It is great to see people actively joining the clean-up campaigns – young people, families, communities and companies are all getting involved,” said Edvardas Baltuška, Communications Manager at “Mes Darom”. Companies made a significant contribution to the forest planting by providing financial support for the initiative. The forest idea was supported by SBA Group, Omberg Group, Homanit Lietuva, the German Bundeswehr brigade, Satchel, Skogran, AviaAM Leasing, Grafobal Vilnius, Viva Fertilis, Savaitė and Avis Lietuva. Each of these sponsors, as well as the trees planted by city residents and visitors, became a part of this growing forest – a space that will help bring nature back to the city and delight not only today’s residents, but also future generations.

A new natural and educational space

For many years, this forest area was used for agricultural activities, but once the forest is planted, it will gradually become another green space in Vilnius, open to all residents of the city.

Walking paths, benches, bicycle racks and information stands have already been installed in the area, allowing Vilnius residents to enjoy nature without leaving the city. This space will become not only a place to walk or relax, but also a space for community, learning and discovery.

In the future, educational programmes, nature awareness events and volunteer work will take place here. This is not just a forest – it is a living place where you can learn about different species of trees and plants, observe the changes in nature and learn to live in harmony with it.