This policy brief, published under the FREE3 Innovators Grant and UB3Guard COST Action (CA20132), provides practical biosecurity guidance for European small and medium municipalities (SMMs) that lack specialized arboricultural resources. It details how local authorities can comply with the EU Plant Health Regulation (EU 2016/2031) and support the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 through cost-effective actions like citizen science monitoring, strict plant procurement protocols, and tree species diversification (such as the 10-20-30 rule). Ultimately, the brief emphasizes that early preventive monitoring is at least ten times cheaper than managing established invasive pests, making local biosecurity vital for preserving urban tree canopies and public health benefits.
Keywords: Urban trees, Biosecurity, Small municipalities, Early detection, Pest management, Tree health, Urban forestry, Invasive species, EU Plant Health Regulation, Citizen science
