A snapshot of London’s urban forest

London has 4.4-million trees calculated to be worth $1.5-billion. The trees remove $4.5-million pollution annually, provide $1.7-million in energy savings & provide $10.3-million annual value from reducing greenhouse gases – a whopping 48,500 tonnes of CO2.  London’s trees work hard.

“About 87% of all London trees are in parks, natural areas & low-density residential areas.
  78% are in good to excellent condition, 11% are poor to fair, 11% are dead.
 The three most common species in London are buckthorn, eastern white cedar & sugar maple.
  There are 126 species, about 50% of which are native to Ontario.
 Three leafiest species are Norway maple, sugar maple & black walnut. 
At chest height, 77.5% of London trees are less than 15 cm (six inches) in diameter. 
London’s trees can be considered a carbon bank, storing 360,000 tonnes of carbon.” See – http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/05/06/19723801.html

Many of the street trees in Despointes Street Marrickville were pruned recently & are a shadow of their former selves.

Ancient trees – old trees

I don't have any photos of ancient trees, but I was thrilled to find these big old trees in a park in Engadine. The photo doesn't show it, but these trees are massive, bigger than any tree I have seen in any park in Marrickville LGA.

This beautiful tree is very tall with a girth of many metres. In the background is an old Monteray pine.

If you are interested in ancient trees you will enjoy Ted Green, ‘the ancient tree man’ talking about the ancient trees in Windsor Great Park Barkshire, about 30kms from London’s CBD.  Ted is an Ancient Tree Guardian & also a founding member of the Ancient Tree Forum & educates across all mediums about the history & value of ancient trees.

The first video is of an ancient Oak tree that has a massive hollow trunk & has been carbon dated at over 1,000-years-old.  It has a huge limb that has been there since the tree was small.  Numerous branches are propped up with steel poles to support them & the tree has been fenced for public safety, as well as to keep people from tramping over the roots.

The tree has seen one mini-ice age & numerous droughts. Astounding to me is that the area where the tree is growing is regarded as desert because it only receives between 30cms-60cms of rain per year & this is England!  Ancient Tree Experience 2012 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMAWnBn6SJc

Another lovely video is the ‘William the Conqueror Oak,’ also growing at Windsor Great Park & planted in 1066.  To me it is a joy to see trees that are hollow & gnarled that have been respected & not chopped down once they started showing signs of age. William the Conqueror Oak – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE_ojABCrYA&feature=channel

A wonderful story of an Australian ancient tree is of the 750-year-old Boab that in 2008 was transported 3,200kms & replanted in Kings Park Perth.  The ancient Boab weighing 36-tons was living in Warmun in the Kimberley region & was to be chopped down to widen a road. This Boab, sacred to the local Gija people, stood 14-metres high with a girth of 2.5-metres & had the potential to live up to 2,000-years.  Contractors were incredibly generous, forfeiting the $120,000 fee to transport the tree for 6-days by offering their services for free.  May they all have a beautiful life. This kind of generosity doesn’t happen often.   http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/kimberley-boab-tree-takes-root-in-kings-park-20080721-3ih0.html

There is more details of the story & a slide show of photos here – http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/about-us/news/1-whats-new/600-the-boab-journey

Here is a March 2012 interview about this Boab & how it is doing well – http://blogs.abc.net.au/wa/2012/03/perths-big-boab-is-doing-well.html

This tree was huge & very tall. We guessed a 7.5 metre girth, just a little bigger than the Eucalypt above.

I do wish Marrickville Council would plant at least one tree in one of our larger parks that has the ability to become really old tree.  We do have Australian trees that are capable of becoming ancient trees.  Most of our public trees become old by sheer luck. Then they are labeled as senescent & chopped down.   What would happen if Council deliberately planted a tree that had the potential to get really old & planted it in a position where it could be protected, could grow really big, could grow naturally & keep its side branches, could have long branches supported by poles in time if needed & was allowed to develop dead wood & holes?  I love to have an owl living in a park.

What a great thing to leave for future generations.  The possibilities to create a fun event that educates & brings the community together are endless.  Council could do events with schools & also the greater community like bury time-capsules somewhere safe in the park every 50-years. The older capsules could be opened on these occasions & reburied once the information has been looked at.  It could be massive community event with the local newspapers involved, competitions, stories & gatherings.  Imagine choosing a local family with very young children to be the face of the event with the hope the children are alive to again be involved 50-years later. I’d have fun organizing this.  There could be other celebrations in-between these major milestones to keep the community engaged & as part of ongoing education that is fun.

I strongly believe that if Council wants to educate the community about the value of trees, there needs to be a regular & big community event about trees to help get the message out there.  National Tree Day in its present format isn’t quite cutting it, no matter how hard Council tries.

The Eucalypt has a wonderful hole in this thick branch that is probably home for an animal or bird. It is rare to see such a thing in Marrickville LGA.

Six million dollars worth of trees

Beautiful Maundrell Park in Stanmore is filled with really significant trees.

The City of Melbourne is doing what I have wanted to happen here for a long time – putting a dollar value on their public trees.  They are using the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show as an opportunity to educate visitors of the value of the trees in Carlton Gardens, where the show is being held.

The trees in the southern section only of Carlton Gardens are worth nearly $6 million.  Not all the trees in this section have been valued, so the final total would be higher.  This dollar amount gives the community a snapshot, which they can mentally transfer to individual trees, the other many large parks in Melbourne & suburbs as well as their long avenues of large street trees.

i-Tree Eco software is being used to calculate the value of each tree.  I have written about this free downloadable software previously.  See – http://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/calculating-the-dollar-value-of-trees/  & http://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/itree-version-4-0/

“The trial application of i-Tree in Carlton Gardens South has shown that around 300 trees remove around 242 kgs of air pollution a year, currently store 620,000 kgs of carbon & sequester 9,500 kgs of carbon each year. Best performing species appears to be Ficus macrophylla & some of the Ulmus species also provide high value. The calculation of the value takes into account several factors including ground cover area, leaf area & leaf biomass, as well as height & size of each tree.  There is growing recognition of the importance of the ‘urban forest’ – that is all the trees & shrubs on both private & public land – to our health & wellbeing in many ways, both physically & emotionally. This importance will be enhanced as we can now put an economic value on the urban forest.”

The Cook Island pine in Marrickville South is another significant tree of high value

When the community recognise that the street tree out front is worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars & that its presence translates into raising the value of their property or street, they will be (hopefully) less likely to mistreat the tree & more likely to look after it.  New tree plantings will be less likely to be removed or sabotaged.

Prior to their poisoning, the 2 beautiful mature Hill’s Figs in Margaret Street Dulwich Hill not only provided massive health & environmental benefits to the local area, they also significantly raised the value of housing both in Margaret Street & nearby streets as well.

One Fig tree in Carlton Gardens was valued at $60,000 so we can reasonably say that the poisoning of the 2 mature Hills; Figs in Margaret Street Dulwich Hill robbed the local community & the greater community of Marrickville LGA of public assets worth around $120,000.  Those who are lucky enough to have a large landmark tree near their property reap many more benefits than those who have a small tree or worse, concrete only outside their property.

Trees are worth big bucks & this demonstration in Carlton Gardens will likely shock many people who have never thought of trees as being an economic asset.  If people realised the monetary gain to their own property, they would think seriously before poisoning a street tree due to leaf litter, wildlife, shade or some other reason.

Hopefully Marrickville Council will do similar calculations as part of the upcoming tree inventory, so that we can have local examples that schools & Council can use to educate & engage the community.

As well as the article there is a map of Carlton Gardens South at the following link showing the dollar value of each tree. If you zoom the screen a number of times the map is easier to read. –  http://www.plantlifebalance.com.au/more-trees-please/trees-shading-visitors-to-melbourne-international-flower-garden-show-valued-at-nearly-6-million/

Enmore Park is filled with significant & what I would consider historic trees. Notice the group of people sitting in the shade with no-one sitting in the sun. This photo was taken March 2012.

The value of the urban forest

You can gauge a country’s wealth, its real wealth, by its tree cover. ~ Dr Richard St Barbe Baker, Man of the Trees

I came across a great video today about the urban forest of Santa Monica in California.  The Council is currently undertaking community consultation about their urban forest.

The video called ‘The Value of Trees’ has some very interesting information about the urban forest in Santa Monica, but applies equally to our own.  Throughout the video their Urban Forrester, the equivalent of our Tree Manager speaks about the benefits of the urban forest with real pride.  At one stage he grabs some leaves of a street tree, pulls them through his gripped hand & shows the particulate matter that tree has captured.

He & another Urban Forrester said about their Councillors,

“The city council is a huge supporter of our program, the urban forestry program. They are very green, they are very progressive when it comes to new methods & new techniques. They have recognized the need for an aggressive maintenance program for the overall health of our canopy & urban forest. They have tripled & quadrupled our annual budget in the last 10 years.” 

Some interesting points for those who don’t want to watch the video -

• 2.54cms or 1 sq inch of tree equals US$26 dollars.
• The city of Santa Monica has over 33,800 public trees.
• These trees are worth $138 million by their replacement value alone.
• When you take into account the environmental benefits their public trees are worth $315,455,400.
• For every dollar spent on tree maintenance, the tree gives back $1.62 & this increases as the tree grows.
• The larger the tree gets, the more environmental benefits & the more that tree is worth.
• Street trees benefit people directly.

You can watch the 6 minute video & marvel at their streetscapes by clicking here – http://vimeo.com/23991375

Beautiful Cannonbury Grove Dulwich Hill

Put a price on those trees

The trees in Ecology Park in the Ashburnham Drive green space at Ecology Park Peterborough US have price tags hanging off the trees as a way to educate the community about the value of trees.  Each tag provides information about the tree’s approximate worth during a 50-year life span.

Green Up’s landscape program says each tree provides “$162,000 in goods & services to city dwellers.”  The tags say -

• Oxygen generation is worth $31,250
• Air pollution control is worth $62,000
• Water recycling is worth $37,500 &
• Soil erosion control is worth $31,250

All prices are in US dollars.  Along with the article there is a 1.12-second video showing the trees & the price tags.

An ag-pipe helps get water down to the roots

It’s a simple idea & a great way to engage the community.  Marrickville Council could think about implementing something like this.  If it were me, I’d hang a waterproof tag from every new tree planted outlining in a few languages the monetary & health benefits this tree brings to the immediate community, especially the impact a good street tree has on increasing the value of nearby properties.

I would use financial examples that relate to the people themselves rather than the overall benefit to Council as was done in Peterborough.  The people in the US generally have a greater appreciation & love for street trees than Australia as evidenced by the hugely attended Arbor Day activities across the country.  Instead I’d briefly list the tree’s positive impact on lowering cooling & heating costs, on respiratory & cardiac health, on their kids learning & on the increase to the value of their property.  I’d be prepared to wager that vandalism would decrease & people may be prepared to give the tree some water now & then during hot summer months or periods of drought.

To write it in ‘Marrickville Matters’ is great. To actually put it out on the street would be even greater as there are likely to be very few people who wouldn’t investigate the presence of a tag hanging from a new street tree & have a read.  How about taking it further & have the young people paint a good-looking mural about the value of street trees in a couple of public places as well.  http://peterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3060128

Beauchamp Street Marrickville looking towards Mahoney Reserve

Calculating the dollar value of trees

Heritage Canary Island Palms in Marrickville

Davey Tree Expert Company must be feeling really happy at the moment.  i-tree, a software program, they designed with the US Forest Service & released to the market in 2006 has become an item of huge interest over the last couple of months. Deservedly so too, as the program is a fantastically useful tool that can be downloaded by anyone free of charge. Instruction manuals can be downloaded free of charge as well.

Tree Hugger has recently written about the i-tree software as well as a number of other high profile green websites. There is much excitement in the media about i-tree. This surprised me because the i-tree software has been around for nearly 5-years.  The recent interest clearly demonstrates an attitude that is pro street tree.

i-tree can be used to calculate the value of a single tree or the value of the trees across a whole city.  It can be used a teaching tool by schools or as a professional assessment tool by councils, industry, arborists, landscape architects, anyone really.

“The i-Tree software suite v. 3.0 includes two flagship urban forest analysis tools & three utility programs.

• i-Tree Eco provides a broad picture of the entire urban forest. It is designed to use field data from randomly located plots throughout a community along with local hourly air pollution & meteorological data to quantify urban forest structure, environmental effects, & value to communities.

• i-Tree Streets focuses on the ecosystem services & structure of a municipality’s street tree population. It makes use of a sample or complete inventory to quantify & put a dollar value on the trees’ annual environmental & aesthetic benefits, including energy conservation, air quality improvement, carbon dioxide reduction, stormwater control, & property value increases.

• i-Tree Species Selector is a free-standing utility designed to help urban foresters select the most appropriate tree species based on environmental function & geographic area.

• i-Tree Storm helps you to assess widespread community damage in a simple, credible, & efficient manner immediately after a severe storm. It is adaptable to various community types & sizes & provides information on the time & funds needed to mitigate storm damage.

• i-Tree Vue (Beta) allows you to make use of freely available national land cover data maps to assess your community’s land cover, including tree canopy, & some of the ecosystem services provided by your current urban forest. The effects of planting scenarios on future benefits can also be modelled.”

To access the i-tree software program, go to – www.itreetools.org

The instruction manuals can be downloaded here – http://www.itreetools.org/resources/manuals.php

Stunning Fig tree in Dulwich Hill

There is another free computer modeling program developed by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service in the late 1990s called Urban Forest Effects or UFORE.  UFORE calculates the structure & environmental effects of the urban forest as well as the dollar value of the urban forest. http://www.ufore.org/

Then there is STRATUM designed by the US Forest Service & released in 2005 -

“STRATUM is a new street tree management & analysis tool for urban forest managers that uses tree inventory data to quantify the dollar value of annual environmental & aesthetic benefits: energy conservation, air quality improvement, CO2 reduction, stormwater control, & property value increase. It’s an easy to use, computer-based program. It allows any community to conduct a street tree inventory. The baseline data provided can be used to effectively manage the resource, develop policy & set priorities. Using a sample or an existing inventory of street trees, this software allows managers to evaluate current benefits, costs, & management needs.”

The New York City Parks Department used STRATUM to value their 600,000 street trees at US$122 million. This was 5 times the value of yearly maintenance.  The City of Pittsburgh calculated in 2005 that it received US$2.94 in benefits for every US$1 sent on its urban forest. The monetary benefit would likely have increased because, as trees grow, their benefits across all areas increase. For example, a tree with a 76 cm-diameter removes 70 times more pollution per year than does a tree with a 7.5 cm diameter trunk. Around 1.5 tons of CO2 are sequestered from the air & stored for every ton of new wood that grows.

CITYGreen, is another program. CITYGreen analyzes the ecological & economic value of trees in relationship to storm water management, energy conservation, carbon storage & air pollution. This desktop GIS software package requires a tree inventory as well as baseline data for each tree & the area, including impervious surfaces.

One of the many beautiful Fig trees in Marrickville Golf Course

GIS-based Trans-Agency Resources for Environmental & Economic Sustainability (T.R.E.E.S.) developed by Treepeople in Los Angles focuses not only on trees, but ecological stormwater management.

There are other urban forest software programs but these 5 give an idea of what is out there.  Urban forest computer assessment tools are a relatively recent development. Trees are being recognised as much more valuable than was realized in the past.

City planners & local governments are recognizing the many benefits of the urban forest.  This in turn will mean more trees will planted in the right place, looked after & not just planted in poor conditions & left to fend for themselves.  It will also mean that biophysical hazards as a result of urbanization, such as air, ground & water pollution, the Urban Heat Island Effect, carbon sequestration & storage & flash flooding will be managed in a sustainable manner.

Instead of trees being seen as just trees or even worse, pests that can be hacked into or removed at a whim, they will finally be recognized as the very valuable resources that they really are. That an increased canopy saves money for Councils will also be recognized & trees will be protected. Hopefully, this will also mean the deliberate increasing of not only the urban forest, but the planting or larger, shade producing trees as a preference, not just small trees that have limited value.

Mackey Park tree in the late afternoon

Can this Poplar be saved?

a section of the avenue of Poplars next to Mackey Park

The Cooks River pathway further on from Mackey Park has 2 stunning avenues of Poplar trees. Poplars are also used to great effect in Steele Park further along the river.

These trees are very beautiful.  They create significant areas of dappled shade in summer & lose their leaves in autumn letting in the winter light.  The trunks of some of the bigger trees behind Mackey Park are around 3-4 metres. These are big substantial trees that are a landmark to this area & can be seen from many locations along the river.

In my opinion the presence of these trees makes this section of the Cooks River pathway in Marrickville South really lovely.  When the wind is blowing the sound created as the wind passes through the leaves is very special.

These trees are being considered for the chopping block because there is belowground infrastructure here & because the soil is poor.  I don’t know enough about the issues to present an argument at this stage.  Just be aware that Council is thinking of removing them.

close-up of the borer affected branch that fell

Unfortunately 1 of the smaller trees dropped a branch last November 2010.  Borers had literally shredded the inside of the trunk until it was unable to maintain its weight & dropped.  What is left is around 1.5 metres of remaining branch extending from the trunk.  No one would know if the borers have travelled that far unless they removed the branch at the point where it connects to the trunk.

I don’t think Marrickville Council is going to bother to check this out as I was told the tree will be chopped down.  If a tree has borers in its trunk it is dangerous because it will do exactly as the branch did & fall.  However, there is a significant chance that the borers haven’t reached that far.

I put up a YouTube video of this tree when the branch & evidence of borers was still available to see. Unfortunately, I have deleted the video & Council has taken away the branch so I cannot re-film it.  However, a Arborist did manage to see the video before it went to its grave & pointed out to me that it is quite likely that the trunk itself does not have borer infestation. He said checking is easy to do & chopping off the offending branch is far cheaper than chopping down a whole tree.

The arrow shows the remaining 1.5 metre branch

I would suggest that Marrickville Council does not want to bother doing this because they think many of the older trees need to be removed & because they are thinking about removing this avenue of trees in time anyway. With this plan, they wouldn’t try to save a tree even if it was a simple thing to do.

I firmly believe that we need to keep our older & larger trees. They are very valuable on many fronts. A Councillor recently said they are “a written asset, not a real asset”. I disagree.  They a valuable asset. As an example of the dollar value of trees, the 14 Laman Street Figs in Newcastle were valued at 1 million dollars.  In England & the US trees are valued, & basically, the older they get, the more they are worth.  It’s time we stopped thinking of trees as expendable infrastructure & start doing whatever we can to care for them to ensure their longevity.

With climate change bearing down on us, I believe we cannot afford to remove the very things that all the experts believe are what will help mitigate global warming. Aside from the craziness of removing a healthy tree because it is not a native, these trees are beautiful. I have asked many people what they think of them over the last few weeks & everyone I have spoken with loves them.  I am not alone then & I suspect the community may have something to say against their removal.

I would like Marrickville Council to leave these trees alone. I do not believe planting native trees here will be a better choice.  I also think Council should check the branch to see if borers have reached the trunk. Of course if they have reached the trunk, the tree should go.  However, in the past when trees were saved as a norm, the Tree Surgeon, as Arborists were known then, would scrape out the infestation providing it was small enough, then fill the hole with what I as a kid called tree cement. It’s not the correct term, but you get the idea.  A number of the Pines at Brighton le Sands have had work like this done. Rockdale Council obviously thinks these trees are special.  It all depends on the motivation of Marrickville Council. If they don’t want the tree, they will go for the easiest option & chop the tree down.

The UN has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests. These trees are part of our urban forest.

The tree to be removed is in this section of the avenue of trees. It is the 4th tree inwards on the right side of the photo. Removing it will leave a large gap

Adopt a Tree Programs

A while ago I wrote about an idea I had for Marrickville Council to start an Adopt a Tree program to encourage people to take care of the street tree out front.  I have also written about other ideas to increase & look after the urban forest in Marrickville LGA. These have been collected in the following page – http://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/tree-planting-ideas/

This young street tree has a fighting chance of surviving because it is planted in a grassed area. Still the odds are very much against it.

When I posted these ideas I had some anxiety as to whether I was asking too much of the community & whether the community would even consider taking part if such programs were in place.

Yesterday, to my delight, I discovered that Randwick City Council has a program that goes much further than what I thought about & asks a whole lot more from the community.  They instigated an Adopt a Street Tree Program. The following is directly from their brochure:

This program provides residents with the information they require should they wish to personally contribute in a practical way to the long-term maintenance of newly planted street trees. By ‘adopting’ a street tree, residents voluntarily take on the role of not only watering a street tree, but also regularly inspecting it for pests & diseases & informing the Council of acts of vandalism or other problems. http://www.randwick.nsw.gov.au/Looking_after_our_environment/Greening_our_city/Trees/

Randwick City Council also prunes trees when needed & ask residents to notify them if they think a street tree needs pruning. I have written a couple of times that I think dead or dying branches of street trees could be pruned before they fall as this is a normal cycle for trees. I think in Marrickville LGA, if a street tree drops branches, they are marked as dangerous trees & put on the death-row list.

I tend to write about trees as issues come up & then research the issue. This approach works for me because the urban forest is a big subject & any research generally has to be specific.  Today I Googled ‘Adopt a Tree Programs’ & found that this is being done by a number of Municipal Councils in Australia & overseas.

Some examples follow.  I have quoted directly from their website & bolded particular points because they impress me.

The City of Stonnington, Inner city Melbourne. Residents in streets where trees are 3 to 6 years of age are being asked to adopt the tree in front of their home & by doing so commit to watering it twice a week with recycled water. http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/www/html/4578-adopt-a-tree-program.asp

The City of Port Phillip Melbourne. By simply adopting a tree in your street or neighbourhood, & watering it weekly, you will help to save the trees within the city from the ravages of drought. …. the Port Phillip Council is giving away Free Buckets which can be collected from any of the locations provided onsite. http://www.freestuff.com.au/gardening-products/port-phillip-adopt-a-tree-and-get-a-free-bucket

The City of Marion, Sturt South Australia. People who register will receive a free watering bucket & detailed tree care instructions. Watering a tree outside your home once or twice a week will help preserve one of the city’s most important natural resources. http://www.marion.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=556

Moonee Valley City Council. Launched in 2006, the Adopt a Tree program invites residents to care for a street tree during this period of dwindling water supplies. Parents of adopted trees will get an official adoption certificate, a bucket & a litre of environmentally-friendly laundry liquid.

http://www.mvcc.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=1995&h=1

Torres Shire Council. A special “Adopt A Tree” award category has been included in our 2010 Torres Shire Garden Awards that will be held in June this year. http://www.torres.qld.gov.au/news/2010/adoptatree.shtml

Wollongong City Council. Since its State pilot in Wollongong during 2003… Other residents interested in planting more native trees in their own yards can take advantage of Council’s Greenplan which offers 5 trees for $15.

http://wcc.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/MediaReleases/Adopt%20A%20Street%20Tree.pdf

The City of Unley South Australia. Currently the Council provides a bucket and fact sheet to residents when a new street tree is planted. The fact sheet provides some detail as to how the resident can assist by watering the tree in its formative years.  Part of the strategy relates to Unley’s street trees, & includes a recommendation that the Council launch an Adopt a Tree program.

Also of interest in the City of Unley papers regarding street trees was:

The economic value of trees is derived from:

• Their association with reduced energy consumption (a well placed shade tree can reduce consumption by up to 30%)
• Contribution to property values (trees in the metropolitan area contribute 13-20% of property value), & potential for contributing to higher profits for businesses.
• The monetary value of Unley’s 22,000 street trees is estimated at approximately $150.2 M (Burnley Method). To remove a tree costs on average $1000, and to replace costs $200.

http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Att_1_Item_515_Council_Sept_2009.pdf

The University of Melbourne. Although the University of Melbourne is not a Council, I have included them here as their Adopt a Tree Program assists Melbourne Councils.

Many trees have dropped their scorched leaves from the extreme drought & this summer & many are under stress from a lack of water. The local councils cannot save every tree as they are under-resourced & under water restrictions themselves. The City of Melbourne, for example, has over 60,000 trees to care for & they need our help as a community by contributing our own grey water to help water our beautiful trees. http://www.sustainablemelbourne.com/movements/adopt-a-tree-in-melbourne-share-the-idea-around/

Planted in paving, under an awning, all the odds are against this tree surviving unless it is cared for.

I wish Marrickville Council would follow these other Councils & set up an Adopt a Tree Program.  It may not take off immediately, but it may prove popular.  Needless to say, all programs need time for the community to get to know about & decide to get involved.

Even if it did only amount to a couple of hundred households/businesses participating during the first couple of years, at least 200 trees or more a year could be helped to survive.  This is significant, as Council plants up to 500 trees a year.

Are trees worth spending money on to keep them alive?

Community tree preservation groups Save Our Figs Wauchope & Save Our Figs Group have a big fight on their hands with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council who intend to remove 13 Fig trees in the town centre “to prevent future damage to private property & public infrastructure.” The roots of the Fig trees are presenting a trip hazard & 3 residents have complained of damage to their property they say was caused by the trees.

These 2 massive Figs next to Marrickville Youth Resources Centre enhance the building & the area.

Thing is, the Council have just completed major works on the streets with the trees described as the centerpiece.  Importantly, 3 years ago the community fought to retain these trees & won.

Now the threat of litigation has reared its head & if history is anything to go by, a very small number of people are going to get their way & have the trees removed.  Council can’t take the risk that people will start litigation in the future.

A couple of days ago I posted that Goondiwindi Regional Council chopped down healthy Fig trees despite community opposition.  It’s the same story.  Now that the trees are gone, the Council has made the decision to spend $96,000 on floating footpaths.  They are doing this now because they, “understand how important these trees are to residents.”

Using floating footpaths means the trees can grow normally. There is no need to cut off or shave down roots, nor cover them in bitumen.  Nor will they need to chop the trees down because of a trip hazard or damage to footpaths. Seems like sensible spending to me.  Given that any large healthy tree can be worth around $100,000, spending money to keep them is a good economic decision.

This Fig is literally holding the building up. There is no visible damage to the exterior of the building

The large street trees in the centre of both these towns are what bring beauty & a sense of place. The towns use their street trees as a tourist draw card.  The Fig trees also provide a tangible history & are held dear by most of the community.

Take the trees away & you have substantially changed a place. Not only have you removed things that are worth a great deal of money & with 13 Figs we are talking in excess of a million dollars, but their loss will have an impact on spending in the shops. Researchers have concluded 11% more money is spent in shopping areas where there are big healthy shady trees.  To their credit Port Macquarie-Hastings Council plans to replace the Figs with 11 advanced Brush Box trees.

My question is why don’t Councils or organizations take pre-emptive action on their big trees when the trees are in areas that could damage property or cause trip hazards?  Ultimately it is worth the financial outlay when one considers how much these trees are worth in a monetary sense. Then there are all the other factors to take into consideration, history, place, future, community cohesion (fights like these in small towns could escalate into severe divisions), trust in the Council/organisation & stating the obvious, climate change.

These roots have infiltrated a parking area. I found it interesting is to see that the roots didn't travel far from the tree despite its size. It has been like this for years & the tree is still healthy even though cars park on the roots, proving it is unnecessary to remove a tree when this happens. It might look unsightly, but the tree itself is gorgeous.

Root barriers can be put in place.  Sewerage & water pipes can be replaced with pipes that can’t be invaded by tree roots or re-routed & be done with the problem forever. In Canada, they use a system that allows pipes to be replaced without digging, disturbing or damaging tree roots. They use a water flushing vacuum system to remove the soil from around the roots, pipes or wires, then install the new pipes & put the soil back in.

You don’t even need to put in concrete foundations near a tree when you are building anymore.  Again in Canada, they insert giant steel screw piles into the ground that are just as stable as concrete foundations & require no digging.

There is also a high-density plastic grid system that I have seen used in Sydney.  Once laid over the ground the grid disperses the weight of vehicles over a larger area. The grid also prevents soil compaction, which can damage roots.  Best of all, the grid allows rainwater to permeate the soil, reducing the need for irrigation & improves storm-water management. Ground cover or other plants can be grown in the spaces within the grid.

The grid also prevents soil erosion. I can see these grids used to support riverbanks & to create cement-free car parks. They could also be used to channel water into the ground near a street tree rather than be wasted by pouring down drains.  There is no reason why a section of the gutter cannot be a grid.

There is also porous concrete used across City of Sydney & North Sydney Councils.  Porous concrete provides a seamless surface allowing people to walk across it, but still captures any rainwater that falls on it, watering the tree.

There are quite a number of beautiful Figs in Marrickville LGA & many of them are planted near buildings. Unfortunately many of these trees live in less than perfect conditions with cement & bitumen almost to the base of their trunk. Many have cars & trucks parked right next to them. As we have seen, it is only a matter of time before branches get gouged or broken off by trucks.

Canary Island Palms line Graham Avenue Marrickville. I hope these trees are heritage protected.

The only reason why money isn’t spent on protecting trees before problems start is that trees are not held in high importance or the Council is so strapped for money that understandably, urban forest issues get moved down the list of priorities.

Many Councils do hold their trees in high esteem & look after them. They use floating footpaths & permeable rubber surfaces or permeable ‘solid’ surfaces. They put garden beds around trees to prevent or limit the amount of vehicles that can park under them. They put ‘no parking’ signs for vehicles over a certain size & weight & they do other things like prune dead branches & normal die back. They probably feed them occasionally as well.

I would do all of the above & if property damage occurred with people saying get rid of the tree/s, I would think it is the community’s & Council’s best interest to fix the damage (within reason, once proof & access has been given to Council) & put things in place to ensure the problem won’t repeat itself.  Too many people & future generations miss out for cracks to walls & pipes, both which are easily fixed without costing as high as the value of losing a tree.

Trees are the only things Councils own that increase in value each year.

I have written about clay soils & how they affect buildings at – http://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/clay-soil/

You can read both stories at the following links -http://www.portnews.com.au/news/local/news/general/lastditch-figs-effort/1874281.aspx

http://www.goondiwindiargus.com.au/news/local/news/general/tree-choppers-are-really-tree-huggers/1872430.aspx

Tree News

Street trees in Eastwood. Most of the residential streets in this & surrounding suburbs have many tall trees.

Dr Jago Dodson from Griffith University’s Urban Research Program is advocating the creation of many more community gardens in cities saying there will be increased pressure on urban areas to produce food in the future.

“In the context of some of the big challenges we’re facing – challenges about the sustainability of rural & regional agriculture, challenges about drought conditions, changing environmental conditions, questions about global warming’s impact on food supplies across the world & also questions about the sustainability of petroleum, which is one of the key inputs into industrial agricultural systems – those big changes are going to start to motivate more creatively how we produce food in society.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/22/2852294.htm

Most residential streets in Chatswood have many tall, shady street trees. This is the norm.

Dr Dodson has some innovative ideas that I think are really exciting.  Judging by Marrickville Council’s support for the latest verge gardening project in Wilga Avenue & the community garden in Denison Road Dulwich Hill, I would imagine Council will also support other community gardens in the LGA.  This year they have said they will provide help in-kind such as removing cement to facilitate such projects & that there are a number of suitable places for community gardens in the LGA.  Access to water is the main issue if the gardens are not on the verges out front.

I predict community gardens will be as popular as book clubs in the not too distant future & as is with Book Clubs, only limited places are available so it pays to be involved from the beginning.

The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published research from the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam showed that living less than 1km (0.62miles) from a green space had a major impact in lowering the incidence of major physical disease & mental ill-health.

Professor Barbara Maher of the Lancaster Environment Centre said, “The study confirmed that green spaces create oases of improved health around them especially for children.” She said, “At least part of this ‘oasis’ effect probably reflects changes in air quality.”

More proof that a good-sized street tree out front does more than beautify, raise property values & reduce your power costs for heating & cooling.  Street trees also remove up to 60% of street level particulate matter such as dust, smoke, ash & the sooty bi-product from car & truck exhausts that we would generally filter through our lungs & which cause asthma & other respiratory illnesses. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8307024.stm

A recent study found tripling the number of street trees could reduce asthma among children by 25 percent.  Researchers from Columbia University in the US found rates of asthma fell by a ¼ when there were around 350 more trees in a square kilometre. http://www.nhs.uk/news/2008/05May/Pages/Asthmarisklowinleafysuburbs.asp

The research found that children are less likely to develop asthma if they live in tree-lined streets, particularly in areas with more street trees.  Here, I think they mean nice big trees with a canopy, not the hacked variety that are so prevalent in Marrickville LGA.

Part of the aims of New York City’s Million Tree Program is to reduce the incidence of respiratory illness as well as improve the overall mental & physical health of its residents.  They also believe in global warming & in 2005, New York tallied its CO2 emissions & found they were approximately 1% of US totals & less than 1/3 of the average US per capita level. 79% CO2 came from buildings. They believe their emissions are so low because there is a heavy reliance on cycling & public transport use. They still to reduce their CO2 emissions by a further 33%. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2007/2007-04-11-03.asp

Rockdale City Council planted street trees along both side of the Princes Hwy Rockdale for approximately 2 km. The awnings posed a problem, so each tree was pruned into a ball & these are maintained regularly. I like what Rockdale Council has done. It looks great & brings green every 3 metres along the shopping strip.

A short, succinct article from Real Estate Agents about the monetary worth of trees on your property, which says, “mature trees & a well-landscaped yard can improve your home’s value by 10-25%.”

Every time I mention this to others I watch the disbelief on their faces, yet this estimate is a number I come across repeatedly in research & articles about the value of trees.

Try looking in the local community papers in the Real Estate section.  If there is a street tree in front of the property, the photographer always includes a branch or leaves from the tree in the photo of the property.  They do this because the sight of trees has a subconscious effect on us.  When we see leafy green, we get a feeling of peace & safety even if we are not directly aware of this. Leafy green means good place to rear children, safety & happiness.  Not to many of us will look at a photo of a property surrounded by cement with no green & compare it favorably with a property that has trees & landscaping, even if the greener property is of lesser value.

http://www.keeferealestate.com/news/concierge.php?itemid=620

The iconic Coral trees in Clifton Gardens were chopped down mid April 2010 by Mosman Council as part of an upgrade of the picnic area. They said the trees had a high-hazard rating.  The residents were very unhappy to lose these & 4 other trees. http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/trees-cleared-at-clifton-gardens-no-picnic-for-some-residents/

Professional tree trimmers in Gilroy California killed 2 owlets when they chopped down a palm tree despite being warned twice about the nest. The Wildlife Education & Rehabilitation Center is caring for the third owlet, who survived the fall. Police are investigating. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/05/21/2-baby-owls-killed-when-palm-tree-cut-down/UPI-39621211398657/

Energy Australia reduced a Frenches Forest woman to tears after their tree pruners entered her property & ‘butchered’ her trees.  She said her trees grew straight upwards & were 4 metres away from the power lines & Energy Australia’s intervention was unnecessary.  The first comment by ‘Chips’ is also interesting as he says this has happened to trees on his property numerous times. http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/tears-over-butchered-garden/

Good news… Buffalo, Illinois, a town of 500 residents has no more room for street trees. They have been focused on street tree planting since 1986 & have now run out of room.  Mike Dirksen, city arborist in nearby Springfield said, “There are so many benefits from trees.  They shouldn’t just be seen as having an ornamental purpose.” This should be engraved on a gold plaque. Bet the town looks stunning! http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/04/16/illinois-town-has-no-more-room-for-trees/

CELEBRITY NEWS (drum-roll please) Last April, in Sao Paulo, Avatar Producer James Cameron & actor Sigourney Weaver planted a native Brazilian tree pau-brasil which is 99% extinct to kick-off a global Earth Day Network which intends to plant 1 million trees in 15 countries by the end of 2010.  http://www.tonic.com/article/james-cameron-plants-first-one-million-trees/

Chatswood, Ashfield, Pacific Hwy & Alexandria - all are very busy roads & they have large street trees at close spacing.