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In news just in, the Australian New Zealand Climate Forum is meeting in Hobart today.
Climatologists have established that Australia’s cities are feeling the heat of both urbanisation & rising temperatures.
More trees please. If we don’t plant them now, it will become much harder to grow trees in urban environments because they will die from the heat. I’ll post more about the Forum when the information is available. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/14/3037851.htm?section=justin
San Francisco has a program Pavements to Parks instigated by the Mayor. Unused or ugly spaces are made into Parklets, mini green areas for people to enjoy. In some places they remove a couple of parking spaces to widen the footpath & allow café trading & eating in this area. Where there is room, areas in the middle of the road have been made into green spaces for people to use. They are not playing sport, rather sitting alone or in groups talking to each other.
The Alpha Club who are leasing & renovating the old Marrickville Council building have created an area next to the footpath that allows people to sit in a green area. It's very new, but it is already very nice. My photo doesn't do it justice.
Parklets have been called ‘quality-of-life generating spaces’ & I would 100% agree with this perception. The presence of Parklets support a pedestrian culture & encourages people to walk or ride. San Francisco intends to establish 35 other Parklets over the next 12 months.
As urbanisation becomes denser with more people living in areas & with new buildings unlikely to incorporate any serious useful green space, Parklets are going to be what builds communities & helps retain sanity.
They are cheap to create & maintain & the sky’s the limit in the creativity & beauty they can bring. I think they are a great idea & already needed in Marrickville LGA. We have so many areas that are concrete wastelands. Parklets don’t have to be along the main shopping strips. They can be created anywhere that has some space. The people will use a Parklet if it is there.
Just last week I saw 2 people sitting on chairs that they had carried from their home to a concreted space that was in the sunshine. They were sitting drinking coffee & talking. What was noticeable was that they were not near residential buildings.
I believe spaces like these encourage people outdoors. Being smaller than a park, they increase the likelihood that people will speak with each other. Fostering good relations is all part of building communities. Parklets would also encourage people to look after an area in terms of less littering & tagging by creating community pride.
They will also have the added benefit of helping to lower the Heat Island effect & if the plants used provide food for nectar-eatung birds, then the benefits only increase. To my mind the benefit of Parklets are too numerous to ignore.
There is a 3.44 minute video that shows a few of the new Parklets in San Francisco & I think it is worth the time spent viewing. There is a few seconds that sound like an advertisement. Ignore this section because better shots of Parklets follow.
http://www.cooltownstudios.com/2010/07/16/sfs-parklets-trade-parking-for-people
The glorious old Marrickville Council building on Illawarra Road is being renovated by the Alpha Club run by the Greek community. So far they have planted Red Flowering Gums & flowering hedges. I think it already looks beautiful
This Port Jackson Fig in Enmore Park is up for removal
An old Port Jackson Fig (ficus rubiginosa) near the rocket play area in Enmore Park Enmore is up for removal. We went to have a look today. The Fig has a cavity in the trunk where it meets the soil. It would make a perfect home for a small animal in a forest location.
Marrickville Council employed a consulting Arborist, who performed a Resistograph. This test uses a ‘smart drill’ to record timber density, which can then be graphed onto a scale model showing how much hard wood is left in the
Port Jackson Fig Enmore Park - circled area is where decay is visible
trunk. Unfortunately 70% of the base of this particular tree has decayed. The hollow has also travelled 67% up the stem of the tree. Both factors make it a high risk of falling, particularly if placed under stress like high winds.
The report does say the tree can be pruned to remove weight, but says the tree would have to be topped with the side branches lopped & kept in this condition. Therefore, it would never regain a full tree shape again. Erecting a fence around the tree to protect the public was also an option. Neither of these actually would improve the look of the tree & amenity of the park, so the advice is to remove the tree.
Marrickville Council intends to replace the tree with an advanced Port Jackson Fig at the same location.
I am pleased Marrickville Council made the Tree Report freely available to the public with the Notice of Removal. The Notice of Removal on the tree had clear information about the reasons for removal. Unfortunately, they nailed the signs to the tree, which is a bugbear of mine. Council recently started using tape to secure the notices on the trees, but has returned to old habits.
All in all, the information provided to the community is thorough & I thank Council for this. At the very least, it helps people like myself understand why this tree needs to be removed. The Tree Report was also written in a way that was easily understandable & was in itself, a great learning resource.
The period for submissions is only 2 weeks & closes Friday 7th May 2010. SoT will not be putting in a submission.
Top: Morton Bay Fig with Hills Figs in the background. The photo doesn't show, but all these trees are massive in size & height. Bottom: view of the lone Morton Bay Fig from the Salvation Army Depot Tempe
Update – IKEA Fig trees – I have been on the search for information about the Post Jackson Fig & the 2-3 massive Hills Figs on the grounds of the new IKEA development, Princes Highway Tempe. As this was a DA, Parks & Gardens did not know what has or is intended for these trees. They gave me the contact details for an officer in Planning who told me that the only tree which was referred to in the DA requirements was the Morton Bay Fig tree. This tree is to be relocated outside the staff recreation room. This explains why the tree is sitting perched up on the original soil with the surrounding areas outside the tree line excavated.
As to what happened to the 2 or 3 massive Hill’s Figs, no one knows. I would presume they fell victim to the chainsaw, which makes me very sad. Judging by the amount of birds that roost in the 2 Mackey Park Hills Figs, these trees would have also been the homes for thousands of birds. Now, they are most likely lost to concrete & bricks & mortar. I guess it depends on one’s priorities, but I don’t think trees feature highly in development. Trees get in the way. It’s as simple as that.
I will try to contact Marrickville Council’s heritage expert to see if I can find out more about these trees. Marrickville Heritage Society is also concerned about the Morton bay Fig, but was unaware of the presence of the Hills Figs. Most of us were similarly unaware, because they were hidden behind 2 storey buildings for decades.
Update: Bandicoot habitat Lewisham – The trees that were due to be removed as part of renovations at the St Vincent’s de Paul Head Office in West Street Lewisham are still standing. I did read in the Inner West Courier about 1 month back that they were working with local WIRES to help keep the Bandicoot habitat. It’s excellent to see an organisation making an effort in response to the community’s concerns with regards to threatened species.
Marrickville Council approved their DA & they could have legally gone ahead with the destruction of this little group of Bandicoots’ habitat.
Top: bank of large mature trees on this property. Bottom: the same trees visible from the adjoining property
We had a look today & saw other church properties that are filled with large trees. It made me realise just how important these old established grounds are in built-up urban areas. Over the years, we have lost so many large trees from front & back gardens, from streets, from properties that have been knocked down & rebuilt & from areas that were once vacant space. While suburban environments have changed, places like the grounds of St Vincent’s de Paul still function as a green oasis in what is becoming predominately bitumen, cement, bricks, glass & steel.
Callan Park in Leichhardt LGA is also a prime example as the grounds are still as they were 50 years ago, except the trees have grown to become magnificent. To lose these green places will be devastating in more ways that one & not just to the urban wildlife.
Last week residents of Wilga Avenue Dulwich Hill were given a grant of $1,000. See Report from the Gallery – 20th April 2010. Photo below.
The largest of the current 6 or 7 verge gardens in Wilga Avenue Dulwich Hill with 2 others visible in the background
the community does not want this road through Tempe
Today, around 300 people attended a protest walk across Tempe Reserve to the RTA’s community consultation about the planned 4 lane arterial road. The walkers could be heard chanting as they approached. Then with a roar, they came around the trees & stood facing the tent where about 20 people were listening to a talk by the RTA on the ‘road to nowhere.’
The ‘No WAY RTA’ banner carried by local residents led the walk closely followed by the Marrickville Council banner carried by Councillors O’Sullivan, Olive, Peters, Phillips, Byrne & Mayor Iskandar. State Greens MP Lee Rhiannon also attended. Many people expressed disappointment that other State & local MPs were not in attendance.
After a few minutes the crowd progressed to the tent & listened to the speaker. The protesters respected that the RTA staff had a job to do & did not interrupt. Besides, the information about this road has been vague, so everyone wanted to know the details of what was being proposed.
I asked about the location & height of the 4 lane arterial road & how many trees will be chopped down to achieve this. The staff member said he had no idea, acknowledging, “Some trees will have to go.” He did however, show me the route of the road & said, “It will be at least 10 metres above the ground, higher in some places.” He said the road could not travel along the Alexandria Canal because it will cross the flight path. Another person pointed out that the intended route put the road on top of a hill travelling in the same direction & this would also affect the flight path so the rationale didn’t make sense. I think there is a plan cooking somewhere to build units along the Alexandria Canal.
The details of the proposed 4 lane arterial road as I understood are:
- The road will require the removal of many mature trees in a park on the Rockdale Council side of the Cooks River (do they care?)
- It will cross the Cooks River & travel between the mature Fig tree situated on the point of Tempe Reserve & the Robyn Webster Sports Centre (the white building with the brown drawings designed & painted by Aboriginal artist Bronwyn Bancroft as part of the Marrickville Council Public Arts Strategy in 2004)
- 2-3 mature Fig trees look to be in the way of the road, however the staff member said this was only a guideline & may change
- The road will go through & above the seating in rotundas, the barbeque areas & the extensive & well loved playground
- It will then follow the curve of the park along Alexandria Canal cutting off access to the water (I doubt people will want to sit under a 4 lane highway)
- Then it will cut through the urban forest on the city-side of the park before it travels along the crest of the hill just above Tempe Wetlands, & beside a golf driving range. It will overlook houses in Tempe & most certainly be visible from the Princes Highway
- The road will stop at Sydney Park & much of the 15,000 vehicles/day will end up on King Street & Euston Road
at today's protest
This road is of great concern because of pollution, noise, impact on the community, respiratory illnesses, damage to Tempe Reserve & the park on Kogarah side & both the Cooks River & the Alexandria Canal & will increase traffic through Newtown, St Peters & surrounds.
Community group Tempe 2020 are there to provide details about how this road will affect their community (see What’s on page). SoT is concentrating on the impact it will have on trees, wildlife, the river & the Tempe Wetlands.
The well-utilised beautiful park on the Kogarah side of the river will be massively affected. Here, I have photographed cormorants drying off their wings on the banks of the Cooks River. It is filled with wildlife that will be severely impacted by the making of this road & the addition of thousands of vehicles speeding past each day.
Tempe Reserve is a beautiful park in its infancy. Marrickville Council have spent millions repairing it & creating biologically diverse areas such as a salt marsh & ephemeral wetland to provide habitat for flora & fauna. In about 10 years it will look significantly more beautiful as the current works will have established themselves & the trees will have matured. It is used by many people 7 days a week & not just for sporting activities. I do not think the community can afford to lose either park to a major road.
impact on Tempe Reserve
Most people are attracted to the point of the peninsula & Marrickville Council knows this because that’s where they put the barbeques, the playground & the seating & this is exactly where the RTA intend to put the road.
I feel annoyed that the State government & the RTA have so little respect & appreciation for these areas. I can only assume that they, as many people in Sydney, don’t realise just what a jewel this area is. Friends glaze over if I mention the Cooks River. Years ago they heard it was ugly & dirty & this has remained in their consciousness. Now it is full of lovely regrowth areas.
The State Government should be doing everything in their power to protect Tempe Wetlands & the Cooks River, which is also highly visible as one of the gateways to Sydney from the airport. Sydney also needs to keep places like this for future generations & for wildlife. This is a densely populated area of the inner west with few parks per capita.
The wildlife in my opinion is quite stressed with the rapid urbanisation & the continued loss of where they can live & find food. Stopping on the perimeter of Tempe Wetlands to take photos today, the air was alive with the sounds of insects humming away. Walk inside & you could be in a national park.
Not everything of beauty should be destroyed for more roads. In my opinion, the State government are continuing to build this city for vehicles, not for people. As long as you encourage cars, roads will always be filled. Spend the money earmarked for this project on public transport, not for a road system that ends nowhere & is going to force drivers into crowded Alexandria and King Street that is barely coping now. Let the wildlife have a little pocket for themselves. Future generations will thank you for it.
SAVING OUR TREES - Marrickville municipality 
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