Recently we have been observing intensified tree felling in Rzeszów. Monitoring this phenomenon and submitting comments or joining the administrative decision-making procedure was a multi-stage, complicated process that was additionally hindered by the City Hall and its subordinate institutions, which was disheartening for many people. Our observations and talks to inhabitants show that there was not enough knowledge on how to react to nature devastation. People felt helpless and excluded from administrative decisions, which led to dissatisfaction and conflicts.
We addressed this problem by establishing the Tree Guard institution. We hired and trained a person who together with our volunteers supported residents in interventions against tree devastation or felling. We activated an interventional hotline, engaged fifteen individuals in guarding activities. We were supported by three local groups, while the information on our activities reached ca. 14 000 recipients. We received ca. seventy reports, the Tree Guard intervened 150 times, meetings with officials took place two times per quarter, on average, we proposed fife trees for natural monument protection, and we documented our interventions in the ‘watchdog journal’ published on our website. We run a campaign against tree felling and construction of a road crossing Family Allotment Gardens by Skrajna Street which other organisations also paid attention to.
We have been involved in such issues for a couple of years, but thanks to engaging citizens our activity will be more effective. Moreover, we can see that it increases the sense of agency and decisiveness among city residences. To make sure that our activity is as comprehensive as possible, we have opened the www.straznicydrzew.rzeszow.pl website which is the source of knowledge on the problem in Rzeszów, and on ongoing activities available to inhabitants. The website offers a list of tools needed for protective activities that can be used by everyone visiting it. Finally, we organised a meeting summarising the project to present its outcomes.