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1. In 2008 fires in Macedonia destroyed around 35,000 hectares of forest & woodland. In response the Macedonian government has established national tree planting days in March & November. The population is given the day off & they all plant trees. The last planting day was last weekend & this time the people of Macedonia planted 7-million trees. Since 2008, they have planted more than 20-million trees across Macedonia. “Experts said that restoring the damaged ecosystem could take up to 50 years.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iIzwn1JeL6NswCTTUwzHYTfIMi7w?docId=CNG.f193bfe068a4a5724570104b03f20f98.951
2. 60 Councils across Portugal are about to plant 100,000 trees this week during National Reforestation Week. Most of the planting will be done by volunteers. http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=1088-18
3. Research by Wageningen University in the Netherlands found that radiation from Wi-Fi networks is harming deciduous trees by causing significant variations in growth & bleeding & fissures in the bark. This has affected 70% of urban trees in the Netherlands. Five years ago, only 10% were affected. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/211219/wifi_makes_trees_sick_study_says.html
4. Bristol Council in the UK has set up TreeBristol to oversee & manage all
Young grass tree flower stalk
trees in Bristol. They intend to increase the canopy by 30% (10,000 trees) by 2015 to help adjust to the anticipated high temperatures due to climate change. They have created a map of the area using aerial infra-red photography to find 7,000 tree planting locations & say their preference is for large trees wherever possible. They also intend to plant trees along bus routes saying this will make the area “safer, more efficient & more pleasant.”
“The council also promotes “celebration trees”, where friends & family fund the planting of specimen trees in public spaces in memory of loved ones.”
Residents will be offered a choice of 3 species of tree as they believe this will help lessen vandalism & encourage people to water the trees. They also plan to plant semi-mature trees to lessen vandalism & they will double their watering to ensure there is less tree loss due to lack of water. http://www.hortweek.com/news/1041320/Bristol-takes-strategic-approach-urban-tree-management/
5. A 10-storey-tall Redwood that predates the US Constitution by more than 800 years is at risk of being chopped down for a high-speed train track. The El Palo Alto redwood has lived above the banks of San Francisquito Creek for around 1,070 years. The tree has coped with commuter trains passing within 3.4 metres (10 feet) 90 times every weekday. The California High-Speed Rail Authority wants to widen the rail tracks for the high-speed rail line. To do this they will need to chop down this 1,070 year-old tree. I find it unbelievable that they are even considering this. http://www.penipress.com/2010/11/19/historic-tree-stands-in-the-way-of-palo-alto-high-speed-rail/
6. This is a great article about forest loss worldwide specifically focusing on
Once a tree
Ghana. “At the turn of the 20th Century, Ghana’s forests covered around 8.2 million hectares of land. By the late 1980s, the forest cover has been reduced to less than 18,000 km2, which means a reduction of the forest cover to 2.1 million hectares.
By the year 2007, the forest cover of the country has been reduced significantly to 1.4 million hectares. Forestry sources say since independence from Great Britain in 1957, the annual rate of forest loss has been averaging 65,000 hectares yearly.” The article explains clearly why forest loss contributes to greenhouse gases & why these ecosystems are to replace. It also talks about the economy of logging & how people all over the world are a part of logging in countries such as Ghana. http://news.myjoyonline.com/features/201011/56147.asp
1. Environmental groups plan to protest to stop National Parks in NSW being developed for tourism by private development consortiums TOMORROW 2nd June 2010 outside Parliament House, Macquarie Street Sydney at 12 noon . The web-site of the Colong Foundation goes into the issue of development of National Parks in detail. http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/tourism/Stop_exploitation_of_national_parks.htm
2. East Sydney residents are protesting against the RTAs plans to drop the creation of a garden at the corner of Bourke & Stanley streets around the Eastern Distributor chimneystack & instead, rezone the land for residential units. http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/east-sydney-locals-fuming-with-rta/
3. The Sydney Botanical Gardens Trust have been given the go-ahead from the Federal Environment Department to use noise dispersal & water spraying to remove the grey-headed flying foxes, a threatened species, from the Gardens. Respected conservation groups were against the proposal to remove the bats from the gardens. For background see http://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/sydney’s-royal-botanic-gardens-trust-wants-‘threatened-species’-bats-banished/
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/syndeys-bats-to-get-the-boot.htm
4. Vandals destroyed more than 40 mature trees in Patterson Lakes & Moorabbin in May 2010. The trees were planted to replace other trees vandalized 18 months previously. http://moorabbin-kingston-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/trees-butchered-in-outrageous-attack-at-patterson-lakes-moorabbin/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
5. I’ve previously posted about the battle by the community who are against a DA for a new Woolworths supermarket at Newport. To date Pittwater Council has received 1,353 submissions from the community, most against the DA. The community fears that local shopping strips will be lost when the Woolworths giant moves in. There is a similar concern with the proposed Marrickville Metro development. http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/room-for-improvement-woolies/
6. More than 100 people attended a protest at the ADI site mid May 2010 including State Opposition Environment Spokeswoman Catherine Cusack, Liberal candidate for Londonderry Bart Bassett, Penrith Mayor Kevin Crameri, Councillor Ross Fowler & a representative of Lindsay Federal Labor MP David Bradbury. The community is trying to save 100 hectares of critically endangered Cumberland Plains woodland. Interestingly, the news headline is – ‘There is still time to put things right.’ http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/there-s-still-time-to-put-things-right-at-adi-site/
Pansies & Marigolds in an island bed on Botany Road - far better than cement
The 1535 hectare site is to be developed by Delfin Lend Lease to create a new suburb – Jordan Springs. It is one of the few green belts left in Western Sydney & is home to 110 bird species, 10 reptiles, 9 mammals, 8 frog species, 3 of them endangered & many plant species, including 4 rare ones.
I found an article from the Green Left written in 1996 where they say residents have been fighting to protect this land for the past 6 years. This means the community has been fighting for 20 years to save this green corridor. This is an interesting article as it provides a background history. http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/12798
The ADI Residents Action Group website also provides a great synopsis of what is going to happen & why the ADI site is important to preserve. http://www.adisite.org/
7. Environmental protestors & Aboriginal traditional owners of the land continue to fight to prevent logging of the Mumbulla State Forest in South East NSW. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/anti-logging-activists-lock-on-to-timber-harvesting-machinery/story-e6freuyi-1225867563540?from=public_rss
It is the last remaining habitat for around 50 Koalas. This may not seem many Koalas to require the stopping of logging a forest, but at The Australian Koala Foundation website, https://www.savethekoala.com/ they say, “there are less than 80,000 koalas left in the wild, possibly as few as 43,000.” This certainly makes 50 Koalas extremely significant. Personally, I think every Koala is significant, but we are talking about big money to be made here versus the habitat & survival of an animal. This is always a problem because the animals generally lose. That the Koala is listed as vulnerable in NSW is supremely important.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW is calling for urgent action to stop logging & save the Mumbulla State Forest & have outlined ways in which the community can become involved. http://nccnsw.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3002&Itemid=1
Last Friday 28th May 2010 a coalition of conservationists, including Chipstop & the Nature Conservation Council of NSW have called for the Federal Government to step in & order that the logging be stopped. Intensive wood-chipping of Mumbulla State Forest has taken place this week. Interestingly, due to countries buying less of our woodchip at the moment, there is some concern that they won’t even be able to sell the woodchips they have made from the torn down forest. The Tasmanian timber company Gunns recently posted a 98% drop in its ½ yearly profit, partly due to a drop in woodchip sales. http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Environment/2010/05/28/Fed_govt_needs_to_protect_NSW_koalas_467192.html
8. Landcare is collecting old mobile phones to help their aim of planting 30,000 trees along the Murray River, at the Mallee in WA & in the Daintree Forest in Far North QLD. 90% of each mobile phone is recyclable so giving your old mobile to collection points stops them landing up in landfill where they don’t degrade. Collection points are Australia-wide & to find a collection point near you – www.mobilemuster.com.au
9. Great news in that the Federal Government contributed to the purchase of a 14,000 hectare property called Bowra Station located in western QLD. The property, purchased by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy is home to 200 species of birds. Birdwatchers will be able to go there. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/21/2906362.htm
10. More great news as the NSW Labor government has decided to pay logging industry $97 million & in turn, they are to stop logging the River Red Gums by the end of June 2010. A National Park in the Millewa group of forests will be established in July 2010 & will be jointly managed with the Yorta Yorta people. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/19/2903840.htm
11. I found the Environmental Volunteers Newsletter on Marrickville Council’s web-site. It’s a great newsletter with information about current activities & contact details of all the environmental groups working in the LGA. http://www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au/environment/volunteering.htm
As of last weekend the historic Fig tree at the IKEA development Tempe was still standing. Its shape has changed so I think it has been pruned.
In the May 2010 edition of Marrickville Matters magazine, Mayor Iskandar said, “I urge Marrickville residents to find that piece of land that is not being used & come to us for help to establish their own community garden.” Marrickville Councils Community Sustainability Co-ordinator can be contacted on 9335-2222. May’s magazine has a environmental feel with many articles focusing on the environment across the LGA. Council also says Mackey Park in Marrickville South will be carbon-neutral with all power needs being offset by the use of photovoltaic cells which generate electricity when exposed to sunlight. This is really good.
12. Go easy on the mince & bacon rashers if you feed Kookaburras because a Kookaburra was found in a Mosman Park being chased by dogs because he was too fat to fly. He is currently in rehab at Taronga Zoo Sydney & on a diet, poor birdie. http://bigpondnews.com/articles/OddSpot/2010/06/01/Hefty_Kookaburra_has_grams_to_go_468341.html
1. The Cumberland Courier reported that Energy Australia is to spend $62 million installing high-voltage power lines between substations at Allambie Heights & Balgowlah to protect endangered tree communities at River Flat Eucalyptus Forest & Duffys Forest Ecological Community & to not damage historic Sloane Crescent Bridge. This is a great thing they are doing. http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/power-plan-to-protect-trees/
showing the Optus cables clearance - extreme at this end of Renwick St Marrickville South. At the other end of this street the branches were pruned to & above the Optus cables
Pity about what Energy Australia did to the street trees at the Woolworths end of Renwick Street during ‘routine pruning’ last February. People just looked at the trees with their mouth open. As usual, the feeling was “the damage is done & there is nothing we can do about it.”
It is such as shame as we know they can do better. See http://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/tree-pruning-planting-practices-compare/ where just last February I complimented Energy Australia for the good pruning they did in Excelsior Parade. Even Renwick Street has different pruning outcomes. The lower end, towards Carrington Road, the street trees were moderately pruned. Some trees that had been almost destroyed during the previous pruning cycle 7-8 years ago were looked after this time. Interestingly, Energy Australia workers did not clear branches below the Optus cables at this end of Renwick Street, whereas up the other end the Optus cables where given a huge clearance. The trees on the corner of Renwick & Excelsior had more than 2/3s of their canopy removed.
2. Brisbane City Council announced they will plant 2 million trees across the city by 2012. This is a fabulous initiative & the community can participate. http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/BCC:BASE::pc=PC_2645
Their website http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/BCC:BASE::pc=PC_694 says residents can request a street tree be planted & provides a list of suitable trees. Brisbane City Council also say they plant trees which will not interfere with overhead powerlines & that street trees are classified as “valuable Council & community assets” & protected under the Natural Assets Local Law making it an offence to prune, interfere with or remove street trees. Wonderful.
In another lovely initiative, Brisbane City Council has organised Tree Trail. Information & a map of 20 locations can be downloaded highlighting special & significant trees around the CBD. I think this is a terrific idea & believe it would be a boon for tourism. HTTP://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/BCC:BASE::pc=PC_936
3. Hornsby Councillor Bruce Mills’ proposal to plant mature trees to create ‘instant boulevards’ was voted in during a March Council Meeting. Residents need to request that their street become a tree-lined boulevard. Councillor Mills says this initiative will be “returning ratepayer funds in a way which adds to their property value.” http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/tree-lined-streets-are-a-reality-in-cherrybrook/
After pruning by Energy Australia, this tree on Renwick Street is a shadow of its former self
The Boulevard in Dulwich Hill is an excellent local example of a street loved because of its many, large street trees that cascade over the road. Ask any real estate agent & they will tell you this street is sort after with buyers paying more to purchase property here because of the presence of these trees.
The following is a short, but relevant article about trees & property value in America. Adelaide University has assessed the value of trees upwards to 25% of the property’s value in line with Australian property prices as they are more expensive than in the USA. http://www.keeferealestate.com/news/concierge.php?itemid=620
Personally, I would love it if our Council copied the ‘instant boulevard’ idea. Even planting more developed trees would be a step forward as these have a greater chance of surviving. City of Sydney Council planted 200 litre root-ball 4 metre high Simon Poplars along & on the corner of side streets in Glebe Point Road in 2009. All these trees have survived & are growing well. There positive impact was immediate & the area looks greener & prettier for it.
4. City of Sydney Greens Councillor Chris Harris wrote about a proposed cycleway in Johnstons Creek that he says will destroy wildlife habitat. This new 2.5 meter wide cement path starts at Orphan Creek, an woodland & wildlife habitat area in Forest Lodge that was decimated for a similar path in 2009 despite enormous & organised community opposition. What is also disturbing in this article is residents from Minogue Crescent who are directly affected by the new cycleway, were refused permission to address the Councillors during a Council Meeting who ‘voted in a block’ to deny them this opportunity. I would have thought it a right. http://www.chrisharris.org.au/2010/03/10/johnstons-creek-cycleway-on-the-wrong-track/
5. The Daily Telegraph reported that State Forests NSW started woodchip logging in the Mumbulla & Murrah state forests on 29th March 2010 despite this being the last area in SE NSW where the threatened species Koala lives. A group of residents attempting to save the Koala habitat managed to stop logging by getting in the way of loggers. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/tense-stand-off-over-koala-colony/story-e6freuyi-1225847595335?from=public_rss
This street tree in Renwick Street had a naturally round canopy. Before it was pruned early 2010, it looked something like the area shaded in yellow. It may have been taller
Koalas are listed as a threatened species & classified as ‘vulnerable.’ From the NSW state governments own web-site – A ‘vulnerable’ species is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances & factors threatening its survival or evolutionary development cease to operate. Yet, they are taking down forests where Koalas are known to live. I just don’t understand this.
Everyone fell in love with the burnt Koala who was filmed drinking water given by a Fireman during last year’s Victorian bushfires, but we can’t rely on our government to save our national emblem. For more information about this issue including how you can help, go to Nature Conservation Council of NSW http://nccnsw.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3002&Itemid=1
Trees are featuring in the news a lot at the moment, which is good to see. The following is what I found most interesting.
1. In Camden LGA vandals have been ripping out & chopping down street trees after dark. http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/outrage-growing-over-tree-vandalism-in-camden/
2. Similar vandalism in Northbridge with community fruit trees that were part of Willoughby Council’s Sustainability Street program were stolen last month. http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/residents-sour-at-theft/
3. In Western Australia the government is planning to log a Dardanup forest containing 500 year old Jarrah trees, which they can’t guarantee will be spared. The Preston Environment Group are fighting to save this forest. These trees will make the princely sum of between $160,000 & $240,000. Is nothing sacred anymore? http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/6894699/plan-to-log-500-year-old-trees/
4. Residents in Dee Why are lobbying Warringah Council who are set to vote on a DA that will remove a healthy 45 year old Angophora just to fit 3 more units into a development. A resident asked, “Why is it that developers have so much power over Warringah Council, yet local residents who have lived in the area for over 15 years & wildlife that use the tree as a habitat have been left helpless?” Sounds familiar? http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/old-tree-to-make-room-for-development-in-dy/
5. The traditional owners of the Murray-Riverina Red Gum forest called for the forest to be managed by the traditional owners. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/01/2833148.htm
Later, federal minister Peter Garrett supported Premier Kristina Kenneally by agreeing to allow some logging to occur for the next 5 years despite prolonged activism to save these very special & unique forests. It’s a hard decision to understand or support. http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/local/6881475/red-gum-park-decision-miserable/
6. Residents are fighting Sunshine Coast Regional Council who have removed 2 Hills Figs & want to remove another 20 trees in Caloundra, South East QLD. A residents said, “Without the trees, Bulcock St is going to be another hot, characterless urban strip….” They will certainly bake.
Interesting, as my experience of this area of QLD is that there were large trees everywhere, including along shopping strips. There were also massive garden beds & a green outlook that the locals were very proud of. The area looked totally unlike Sydney. Perhaps the fact that much of the planting & maintenance was done by people serving Community Service Orders helped get such a green outlook. Maybe, but there is also a culture which is pro-nature in QLD. The comments are overwhelming in support of retaining the trees. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/residents-angry-over-plans-to-remove-bulcock-st-trees/story-e6freoof-1225821748442 and today - http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/03/06/800-join-fight-to-save-trees/
7. A November 2009 article from The Canberra Times because the trees in the ACT are mostly mature & the Council want to remove & replace them all. Pertinent to Marrickville Council’s recent proposal to remove 59% of the public trees across the LGA. A great many of the street & park trees in Canberra are Eucalypt’s & the city & suburbs are full of native birds because of this. This article questions chopping a tree down if a branch falls & the issue of litigation. Again, the comments are very interesting. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/greens-call-for-trees-probe/1673875.aspx
8. In overseas news, the United Nation’s Billion Tree Campaign has reached 10 billion trees. The BTC was launched in 2006. 170 countries participate & the latest to join were China late 2009 & India last February. India has planted 6.1 billion trees since 2006 & 2.6 billion of these trees have been added to the UN’s program.
The UN says worldwide, 14 billion trees need to be planted annually to combat global warming. This initiative is seriously tackling the serious problem of global deforestation. Australia is a participant with the Boy Scouts planting trees. I was unable to find out any other information about Australia’s input other than this reference. http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a117813.html
So many of our street trees across Marrickville LGA try to survive in such dreadful conditions when it could have easily been fixed
9. Not only is India making the news for their massive & commendable tree planting achievements (they don’t argue about the reality of climate change because they are living it), they have also an amazing High Court. Why? Because Delhi’s High Court ordered all concrete around street trees to be finished being removed within 3 months starting last week. 9,395 trees will have the concrete removed from around their trunk. I wish the Delhi High Court had jurisdiction here. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Remove-concrete-near-trees-in-3-months–HC/586569/
10. New York City’s Million Trees program has planted over 300,000 trees since it began in 2007 focusing on all the empty street tree sites as well as areas of land which are bare. They call it “revolutionizing urban street tree programs.” Over 1,000 volunteers showed up to plant 20,000 trees on one day. I love this program. There are Million Tree programs in other cities across America & they are all successful. Not only do they result in a significant increase in the green canopy, programs like these educate people about the benefits of trees & by offering regular days where the community can be actively involved, create pride & ownership in the community. http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/02/24/2010-02-24_big_town_going_green_trees_bring_green_benefits_to_the_city.html#ixzz0h3k2oVDW
11. In Wellesley, Massachusetts USA more than 90 trees that were almost 100 years old & were 60-70 foot tall were chopped down by accident. How does this happen? Were the lumberjacks talking & just numbed out for a moment? http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/02/18/scores_of_trees_felled_in_error_on_wellesley_park_land/
12. In a generous green act, Chris Clark from Middle Tennessee USA is donating 100,000 trees in memory of his father who died 6 years ago. This is a fantastic gift to the community & further confirms my belief that people like to plant trees in memory of a loved one. http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12087906
13. 2,500 shade street trees are to be planted in Worchester USA to replace the same amount of street trees which were recently lost to the Asian Long-Horned Beetle. Where trees will be affected by overhead powerlines, they are planting ornamental trees & larger shade trees everywhere else. The comments after the article are quite interesting. http://www.telegram.com/article/20100302/NEWS/3020415/1116
14. In Lichfield Connecticut USA, it is illegal to tie a yellow ribbon around an old Oak tree or any tree for that matter even if it is to honor troops in Iraq & Afghanistan. I anticipate there will be peaceful civil disobedience about this. http://www.wfsb.com/news/22703733/detail.html
young Oak street tree
15. Lastly, a Welsh Oak tree died of the cold aged 1,200 years. (not a typo) It had a girth of 10.36 metres. It was called The Great Oak at the Gates of the Dead. From the article, According to legend, in 1165, King Henry II of England, preparing to meet Owain Gwynedd in the Battle of Crogen, commanded his men to clear Ceiriog Woods, but ordered the Great Oak to be spared. I bet there are many people who are very upset about the loss of this tree. It reached an astounding age & if it weren’t for the extreme weather this last winter, it may have lived for much longer. http://greenanswers.com/news/127110/winter-overcomes-1200-year-old-oak
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