12 October 2012

Greens release tree policy

| Jazz
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I would have been exceedingly disappointed in the Greens had they not released this policy, but today The ACT Greens have made an election pledge to boost the number of Urban trees in Canberra. Whilst the article talks about 4 million dollars its worth noting from the Greens website that its only an extra million on what’s already committed.

More details of thisand The ACT Greens environmental policies can be found on their website

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Gungahlin Al said :

housebound said :

The ACT Government already had a tree replacement policy developed by one of the more competent areas I have come across. How is this different? How much money is already allocated to this in the budget?

Housebound, I spent some months on Sustainability Commissioner Maxine Cooper’s Urban Tree Management Review Panel as the community representative. The other panel members included horticulturalists, urban designers, landscape architects.

And I can tell you that the near absence of a strategic plan to both manage existing and replace dead/dying urban trees was very real and amazed us all.

The empty tree holes in footpaths all over the town centres is all the evidence you need of that.

For those leaping at the inevitable tree-hugger label, trees are incredibly important in the urban environment – whether in parks, streets or gardens – and highly valued by residents of every demographic.

We talked about many aspects of better planning, including measures such as allowing deciduous on southern sides of streets and evergreen on northern sides to ensure better solar access, instead of slavishly having the same species on both sides of streets. The decision to abandon all trees during the drought was a serious concern, and the cost to replace those that were lost far exceeds the cost of keeping the originals alive through the drought, for a relatively small water impost.

Basically, short-sightedness has prevailed over a long-term perspective.

The Greens policy is about trying to lock in a commitment to ongoing proactive management of these important community assets.

Funny you should say that. I happen to know through other channels that there was a plan in the workings. I know you’ve been on committees, but other people have experience and skills too. They just can’t say much about it.

Gungahlin Al6:25 pm 15 Oct 12

housebound said :

The ACT Government already had a tree replacement policy developed by one of the more competent areas I have come across. How is this different? How much money is already allocated to this in the budget?

Housebound, I spent some months on Sustainability Commissioner Maxine Cooper’s Urban Tree Management Review Panel as the community representative. The other panel members included horticulturalists, urban designers, landscape architects.

And I can tell you that the near absence of a strategic plan to both manage existing and replace dead/dying urban trees was very real and amazed us all.

The empty tree holes in footpaths all over the town centres is all the evidence you need of that.

For those leaping at the inevitable tree-hugger label, trees are incredibly important in the urban environment – whether in parks, streets or gardens – and highly valued by residents of every demographic.

We talked about many aspects of better planning, including measures such as allowing deciduous on southern sides of streets and evergreen on northern sides to ensure better solar access, instead of slavishly having the same species on both sides of streets. The decision to abandon all trees during the drought was a serious concern, and the cost to replace those that were lost far exceeds the cost of keeping the originals alive through the drought, for a relatively small water impost.

Basically, short-sightedness has prevailed over a long-term perspective.

The Greens policy is about trying to lock in a commitment to ongoing proactive management of these important community assets.

The ACT Government already had a tree replacement policy developed by one of the more competent areas I have come across. How is this different? How much money is already allocated to this in the budget?

While I hate to go down the ‘legislate for this’ path, I do believe when properties are developed, it should be legislated that there is room for (a) deciduous shade tree(s). It’s amazing how much air conditioning power and $$$ you can save just from having ‘free’, natural, cooling shade on your house in summer. It’s just crazy to have all these so-called ‘green’ initiatives counting EER, taxing ‘carbon’ on power usage etc, without taking the immense benefit of correctly placed shade trees into account. Obviously, developers don’t care about this and would just want to keep cramming houses on blocks unless there are legislated restrictions to how much of the block can be built on. You can get good narrow deciduous shade trees (eg certain types of pyrus) that would only need a couple of extra metres of land to provide a massive difference to power usage and cooling urban greenery in general.
Eucalypts are not ideal though, either on household blocks or in suburban parks near playground equipment or BBQs, as they cast shade in winter when you want the sun, cleverly move their leaves in summer to avoid water loss, thus providing minimal shade, shed annoyingly all year (including massive widow-maker limbs), and exude chemicals into the soil preventing other plants from growing near them. Not ideal street trees either for these reasons. However, they are just lovely in natural bush reserve settings or on large blocks.

If there going to plant all these trees maybe they could make I little less difficult to remove large un wanted trees from ones yard

I think having more trees is a good thing, provided some thought is given to where and what type. I really like trees.

Bunch of tree-hugging hippies!

Where are they going to release the trees? Labor will probably just arrange a tree cull, wherever it is. The culled trees will be buried in mass graves, because it’s uneconomic to use them for anything else.

IP

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd8:49 pm 12 Oct 12

Masquara said :

Note the absence of information as to whether the Greens plan to revive the anti-exotic fascism of times past. Kerry Tucker remains unforgiven for allowing perfectly sound oak trees in the inner north to be cut down – while squawking about gum trees. Huge deciduous trees of course are absolute treasures to Canberrans.

Huge gum trees are annoying and dangerous. Cut them all down.

Note the absence of information as to whether the Greens plan to revive the anti-exotic fascism of times past. Kerry Tucker remains unforgiven for allowing perfectly sound oak trees in the inner north to be cut down – while squawking about gum trees. Huge deciduous trees of course are absolute treasures to Canberrans.

Jazz said :

This is what you get when your stand in editor failed english at high school. Granted it was only the poetry unit.

Cough! Splutter!

Or as you might say:

Coff! Splutta!

Jazz said :

This is what you get when your stand in editor failed english at high school. Granted it was only the poetry unit.

I failed cooking – true!

reepy said :

Best title ever

Editorial standards have dropped since Johnboy defected to Ecuador.

This is what you get when your stand in editor failed english at high school. Granted it was only the poetry unit.

Best title ever

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