April 2006, Rome -- FAO has a programme in urban forestry through which it supports member countries in information sharing, project identification and formulation and participatory development of municipal strategies and master plans for urban forestry. However, in current urban greening initiatives professional foresters and urban architects still have a minor role. We recently met few of them at a Workshop on Urban and Peri-urban Forestry and Greening in West and Central Asia, in Rome. The following interviews highlight the importance of urban trees and related vegetation in and around densely populated areas in both industrialized and developing countries, implications