The AEPJP incorporates a glossary and a book of explanatory notes to the Granada 2020 Standard to improve its applicability

The Spanish Association of Public Parks and Gardens (AEPJP) has developed complementary material to the Granada 2020 Standard manual, with the aim of facilitating the understanding of this method of ornamental assessment of trees, clarifying doubts and improving the subjectivity of its application. A glossary and a book of explanatory notes make up the guide, which follows the order of the standard itself and is available on the AEPJP website.

The president of the AEPJP and promoter of the Granada Standard, Pedro Calaza , details that “in each section of the guide, concepts are clarified, recommendations for thresholds are set and the reference bibliography that is considered appropriate to delve deeper into the process is specified. of ornamental valuation”.

Calaza emphasizes that the 2020 Granada Standard includes “a more contemporary vision, aligned with the vision of urban vegetation, and much broader in the typology and number of elements to be valued, as well as in the procedure for assigning values. ”. In short, a profound change is inherently pursued in tree management aligned with that vision of future green infrastructure, optimizing ecosystem services and minimizing disservices.

Born as a method for valuing ornamental trees in 1991, the Granada Standard represents for the AEPJP “one of the most important projects with the longest history” of the entity, “both in terms of time and global impact.” It is a method mandatory application in a large number of town councils in Spain, and which appears included at other scales of greater territorial scope, such as in the Community of Madrid or in the Portuguese Tree Law .

The guide that complements the 2020 Granada Standard manual has been prepared thanks to the altruistic work of colleagues from the AEPJP and the support of entities that financially support its dissemination such as Viveros Jara , Green Blue Urban and El Ejidillo Viveros Integrales . You can download it from the specific section of our website.

Dissemination and training of the Granada Standard
The AEPJP is committed to disseminating knowledge of the Granada Standard among universities and professional associations. Proof of this is the consolidation of training activities aimed at public administration technicians, company managers in the Green Infrastructure sector and environmental auditors.

The set of training sessions organized by the AEPJP and in collaboration with professional associations and entities such as the Olot Professional Studies Foundation establish the theoretical bases of the Granada Standard among students and include a prominent part of workshops over about 15 hours, approximately. Pep Rusiñol , agricultural technical engineer and member responsible for Urban Forests on the board of directors of the AEPJP, details that “one of the conditions established is that the training center be close to a garden or a green space to carry out practical exercises. based on the Granada Standard and learn to value the trees,” he adds.

For Rusiñol, the essential objective of these trainings and knowledge of the Granada Standard consists of “assigning a numerical value to the trees that are being visualized” and contemplating that “it is not about valuing the tree itself,” but rather the state of the trees. roots, biodiversity, the distribution of the tree mass and the possible invasive nature, among other elements. To carry out this process, students must first make a series of measurements of the perimeter of the trees, the height and diameter of the crown. Secondly, they must complete a series of “visual items”, which will allow them to “identify cracks and other damage” thanks to “basic knowledge of arboriculture”.

Once these data are obtained from the trees, they are entered into a tool available on the AEPJP website, which performs the mathematical calculations and provides a series of statistics, based on the assessment criteria established by the Granada 2020 Standard. “In the Nowadays it is very necessary to give value to everything, and this method provides scientific evidence of guarantee. This is the most widely used regulation in Spain and all town councils with a certain tree mass use it daily,” adds Rusiñol.

With the incorporation of new materials to the Granada 2020 Standard and the consolidation of training activities, the AEPJP reinforces its commitment to one of its main projects as an entity and which reflects the association's commitment to the contribution of green infrastructure to health of the human being and the sustainability of the planet through ecosystem services.