Sydney Blue gum for Mackey Park Marrickville South

Lovely new Sydney Blue gum in an empty area next to the stormwater canal. It should add some nice greenery for the houses in this area as well.

I was so pleased to see that Marrickville Council have planted a 2.2-metre Sydney Blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna) next to the stormwater canal in Mackey Park Marrickville South.

For the first time ever that I have seen, they fixed the label to one of the stakes so that people could read what kind of tree had been planted. Great idea Council.  Hopefully people leave the label in place so everyone can have a read while the tree is establishing itself.

It is especially important to have at least one Sydney Blue gum in Mackey Park as a mature Sydney Blue gum street tree just a few houses away in Premier Street had to be removed recently.  Unfortunately the tree had been planted in an inappropriate site directly next to a deep sunken retaining wall.  A new Sydney Blue gum close by should fill the biodiversity hole left by that tree’s removal as it was bursting with birdlife.

Nice idea for Marrickville Council to attach the label.

Two trees to go from Dulwich Hill

The 2 Sydney Blue Gums to be removed are on the left of this photo. Beside them on the right are tall London Plane trees, other mature trees in Arlington Oval & the park next door. The removal of these trees is going to have a significant impact on both Arlington Oval & the locality of Dulwich Hill

Marrickville Council intends to remove 2 trees from Arlington Sports Ground, Dulwich Hill.

Tree number 1 is a Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna).  Last April 2011 Council put up a notice of removal for this tree & had a public consultation period.  I have already written a post about this tree.  See – https://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/two-public-trees-up-for-removal-in-dulwich-hill/

Council gives the following reasons for removal –

• “Major structural defects have compromised structural integrity of subject tree in a high volume area; as such the tree poses an unacceptable risk to private property, infrastructure & to the public.”

Council says they will replace the tree with “species according to the Plan of Management.”  They don’t say what the Plan of Management is, when the replacement tree will be planted & their web link given for further information did not work at the time of writing.

The notification of removal was posted on 7^th June 2011 & any submissions are due by this Friday 10th June 2011.   As stated in my earlier post, I will not be putting in a submission for this tree.

Tree number 2 is also a Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna).  It is located directly next to the tree above.  Council gives the following reasons for removal –

• “Subject tree has a history of multiple branch failures. As such, the subject tree in its current condition presents an unacceptable risk of harm or injury to persons & property.”

As per tree number 1, Council says they will replace the tree with “species according to the Plan Of management.”  They don’t say what the Plan of Management is, when the replacement tree will be planted & their web link given for further information did not work at the time of writing.

Submissions for this tree are due by Monday 20th June 2011.

Showing the location of the 2 trees. A car can park in the foreground of this photo. The area in front of the trees is fenced off. Tree number 2 is away from the spectator seating.

These 2 Sydney Blue Gums stand with one other Sydney Blue Gum in a row located at the side of Arlington Oval, well away from users of the oval.  I have seen a car parked in the tight space next to tree number 1 & this habit is likely to be responsible for the injury that created access for disease in the first place.

Tree number 2 has 3 branches that appear to be been pruned close to the trunk.  I presume these are the branches that fell.  Thankfully, there appears to be nothing wrong with the third tree.

It will be a huge impact both to Arlington Oval & the local area to lose these 2 trees, as they are much higher than the surrounding trees in the locality.  They are also exceptionally beautiful.

I have some qualms about removing tree number 2.  It’s an awful lot of loss for an if.  It is a healthy tree & in a location that people don’t really go.  It’s a dead zone in Arlington Oval cordoned off by a low fence. It would be interesting to know over what period of time the branches fell, as this would indicate whether a plan of management could be instigated for this tree.  I personally think an annual inspection of this tree would be worth it.  Many Sydney Councils do routine inspections of their trees & prune where

Council has gone to some trouble to make sure the community knows of the removal of these trees by leaving many signs in highly visible places.

necessary.  This gives them a much greater chance of identifying risky branches & their proactive management means that ultimately more trees can be retained.  Marrickville Council has no pruning/inspection routine & their tree policy says they do only reactive management of trees, that is, when a problem has developed.

I know that Waverley Council has fenced a tree in a park that drops branches allowing them to retain the tree.

I will be putting in a submission asking Marrickville Council  to manage this healthy tree by doing regular inspections, pruning when necessary, fencing it off from the public & putting up a warning sign.  This is in line with what other Councils do.

Marrickville Council – council@marrickville.nsw.gov.au

Showing the trees to be removed. Tree number 1 has 2 trunks.

Marrickville Festival

Marrickville Festival 2010

Yesterday’s Marrickville Festival was great despite the rain. Actually, from lunch onwards, any rain was just the occasional drizzle & the set up of the tents & the shop awnings meant that one could participate without needing to get wet. Crowd numbers were down, but a sufficient crowd attended to give that party feeling.

I loved that the Addison Road Community Garden were selling a Sydney Blue Gum. It was a very healthy specimen at just $14.  I wanted to buy it, but where could I plant a tree that will grow to 50 metres? Certainly not our garden. I was pleased to find the Community Garden are growing this species of tree for Council to plant across the LGA. This means that in time, we will have tall trees on the horizon.  Excellent.

If you didn’t go, you missed a good time. Maybe next year?

Meet the King & Queen of Green who teach kids about the environment

Dancing at the corner of Illawarra & Marrickville Roads

This was standing room only

Enmore public tree up for removal

Marrickville Council intends to remove an Ironbark Eucalyptus sideroxylon in Bugler Playground, adjacent to 21 Gladstone Street, Enmore.  Council gives the following reasons for removal –

• Subject tree is in decline
• Extensive internal decay
• Borer activity evident
• Tree planted in an unsustainable location

How this tree survived is a miracle. Even the concrete surrounding it it in good condition

Council say they will replace with a Sydney Blue Gum Eucalyptus saligna “in a suitable location within Bugler Playground,” though do not say when they will do this.

Here is a tree that was planted in the wrong place decades ago. That it survived to grow as tall as it did is testament to the strength & tenacity of Australian trees. Give them a bit of dirt & a bit of water & they do their utmost to survive.  This poor tree, now many metres tall, has grown in less than a square metre of raised garden bed.  It is looking the worse for wear & it wouldn’t surprise me if it fell during a major storm. Surprisingly, it hasn’t broken up the concrete around its base.  In addition to the Sydney Blue Gum planted within Bulger Playground, Council could put a small Grevillea on this site as there is not much greenery or colour in the street & the absence of birds was noticeable.

A peaceful corner of Bugler Playground Enmore

If you haven’t been to Bulger Playground, it’s worth a visit. It’s a very small park, with good playground facilities. What makes it different is the unusual planting of clivea & palms around the perimeter.  I thought it was a nice peaceful park in a location that really needed green space.  The Sydney Blue Gum will grow very tall & become a landmark in the area.  I will not be putting in a submission.

The deadline for submissions for all trees is Tuesday 12^th October 2010.

Council have allowed 3 weeks for submissions for the Marrickville & Stanmore trees.  I am very pleased about this as this was the period being allotted when SoT started last year.  This year the period for public consultation was dropped to only 2 weeks. Thank you to Marrickville Council for allowing this time as it is very hard to do much in a 2-week (10 working day) time frame.  I am also pleased that all trees had their Notification of Removal signs attached with sticky tape.  Thank you.

Ironbark is a particularly beautiful wood that is quite hard to access & certainly nothing thicker than 2 inch planks.  I think it is time woodworkers & artists thought about contacting Council to request wood from tree removal rather than the precious wood simply being mulched.  It would be great if Council could make it available to those who request. It is not unreasonable for pieces to be taken away from the removal site at the time the tree is removed.  It could be a revenue stream for Council.