Chopping down pine trees - near arboretum

ED – arboretums house both native and non-native species

Loquaciousness said :

My point is – have any sums actually been done (and made public)? Where is the value in this in dollar terms?

I fail to see how it’s “something historical” in a way that’s any different to the Botanical Gardens.

That’s money literally being sunk into the ground over there and we have one of the worst standards of hospital care in the country. And why? So we can have some pretty flowers to look at.
L

Botanical Gardens and Arboretum’s are usually very different both in aim and in appearance. Botanical Gardens usually house plantings of native flora while arboretums generally are the plantings of exotic international tree and shrub species. Their purpose is not only to be pretty, but also to bolster endangered specie stocks and to educate.

Society cannot simply bundle all money into health & education while allowing other life forms to dwindle into nonexistence. This is the purpose of things like science and arboretums – where our forestry scientists learn what’s what.

As for sums, feasibilities would have been completed as with all gov projects. The aim may not necessarily be to make money, the same with other public and social works.

peterh said :

Loquaciousness said :

peterh said :

so, now we will have a tree museum, how long till we have big yellow taxis??

And a pink hotel!

but we are never going to get a swinging hotspot….

but we might have spots on our apples!

L

Loquaciousness said :

peterh said :

so, now we will have a tree museum, how long till we have big yellow taxis??

And a pink hotel!

but we are never going to get a swinging hotspot….

I was wondering the same thing about why they were removing the trees, I mean, it’s not even christmas yet.

L, it isn’t when it’s being overseen by Nero, the local mayor and his pyromaniac Emergency Services Dept

tylersmayhem said :

Some how I think it will yield more dollars than the current bland plot upon plot of pine trees.

Yeah. Coz wood isn’t valuable at all.

L

Loquaciousness said :

As for the locals of arboretums hundreds of years ago, I dare say some of them would have been complaining if their areas were planting flowers instead of building hospitals or educating their children too …
L

And the trees outlived the whingers there too.

peterh said :

so, now we will have a tree museum, how long till we have big yellow taxis??

And a pink hotel!

so, now we will have a tree museum, how long till we have big yellow taxis??

I’m really confused by these last couple of posts!

tylersmayhem said :

Especially if they somehow kept it burning forever. An ever-burning mountain would be a stunning, if somewhat apocalyptic, “gift to future generations”.

Wha?

Just a left field contingency plan for Stanho and co to ponder. I like trees and have absolutely no problems with the arb’. It will improve the whole scenery of LBG.

After seeing other arboretum’s around the world,

Have you visited the arboretum we already have here in Canberra? It’s right near the lake (which makes water more accessible) and was established some time ago. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to promote and improve that one rather than plant new one?

“gift to future generations” “lasting legacy” – you guys must have watched The Hollowmen last night!

so, now we will have a tree museum, how long till we have big yellow taxis??

Especially if they somehow kept it burning forever. An ever-burning mountain would be a stunning, if somewhat apocalyptic, “gift to future generations”.

Wha?

New Yeah said :

Loquaciousness said :

New Yeah said :

tylersmayhem said :

It will be stunning!

Agreed, as long as it doesn’t burn down.

Oh, I don’t know. I think that could be quite stunning too!

L

Especially if they somehow kept it burning forever. An ever-burning mountain would be a stunning, if somewhat apocalyptic, “gift to future generations”.

and think of the water we would save….

Well, I can remember a number of family holidays in which my parents drove long distances to just to visit assorted (mostly private) aboretums. There are a few people out there that do that sort of thing, they tend to belong to organisations like the Dendrology Society.

One of the things about aboretums though is that in order to earn the title and be more than just a big park, there has to be some botanical merit to the collection. So, things that are a bit rare or special, or large scale trials to test the limits of what can be grown in the climate. I hope there is a genuine plant person in charge of the aboretum.

My point is – have any sums actually been done (and made public)? Where is the value in this in dollar terms?

I’m all for prettiness. And I’m sure the brides-to-be of Canberra will be grateful for something other than Glebe Park and the lake to have their photos taken next to. Any hotels or whatever are just commercial ventures – they will bring a limited amount of money back to the territory in the form of taxes or whatever. I fail to see how it’s “something historical” in a way that’s any different to the Botanical Gardens.

And yes, I’m cynical and ungrateful about this – I for one am not the sort to sit around and blindly agree with something just because Sonic says it’s a good idea. That’s money literally being sunk into the ground over there and we have one of the worst standards of hospital care in the country. And why? So we can have some pretty flowers to look at. It’s about priorities – let’s build an arboretum once we’ve fixed some of the other issues in the territory.

As for the locals of arboretums hundreds of years ago, I dare say some of them would have been complaining if their areas were planting flowers instead of building hospitals or educating their children too …

L

Loquaciousness said :

New Yeah said :

tylersmayhem said :

It will be stunning!

Agreed, as long as it doesn’t burn down.

Oh, I don’t know. I think that could be quite stunning too!

L

Especially if they somehow kept it burning forever. An ever-burning mountain would be a stunning, if somewhat apocalyptic, “gift to future generations”.

Some how I think it will yield more dollars than the current bland plot upon plot of pine trees.

Of course there is no proof that it will yield tourist dollars – but really, Canberra needs to take every opportunity to get tourists here. While the museum, war memorial and Parli house are good – there is still very little to bring people to this city. It’s another possible excuse for tourists to do so, particularly if there’s nothing like it anywhere else in Australia, or many other parts of the world for that matter.

From what I understand, it’s not just tourists who will benefit. It will be a unique place which will also allow for wedding receptions, restaurants and even a hotel or two.

I can’t agree that it compares with the s**t they call art and put on the side of the road. It’s leaving a gift to future generations. It’s the beginning of something historical. I’m sure when some of the arboretums where established hundreds of years ago – instead of being cynical and ungrateful, the locals would have seen the unique opportunity and taken pride to have something like that.

New Yeah said :

tylersmayhem said :

It will be stunning!

Agreed, as long as it doesn’t burn down.

Oh, I don’t know. I think that could be quite stunning too!

L

Some how I think it will yield more dollars than the current bland plot upon plot of pine trees.

Of course there is no proof that it will yield tourist dollars – but really, Canberra needs to take every opportunity to get tourists here. While the museum, war memorial and Parli house are good – there is still very little to bring people to this city. It’s another possibile excuse for tourists to do so, particularly if there’s nothing like it anywhere else in Australia, or many other parts of the world for that matter.

From what I understand, it’s not just tourists who will benefit. It will be a unique place which will also allow for wedding receptions, restaurants and even a hotel or two.

I can’t agree that it compares with the s**t they call art and put on the side of the road. It’s leaving a gift to future generations. It’s the beginning of something historical. I’m sure when some of the arboretums where established hundreds of years ago – instead of being cynical and ungrateful, the locals would have seen the unique opportunity and taken pride to have something like that.

tylersmayhem said :

It will be stunning!

Agreed, as long as it doesn’t burn down.

Mr Evil said :

A fully functioning health system would also be quite stunning for Canberra too.

Yes, indeed. Not to mention the education system …

I agree that it will be stunning – I’m not against an arboretum in principle. However, I see this in the same light as the multi-million dollar artworks being strewn about the place. They’re pretty (well, that’s debatable in some cases), but they’re also massive drains on the territory’s economy, and all for not much.

Where’s the figures that show that having an arboretum is going to increase tourist dollars by x factor of the amount being spent on it? I imagine that many people who are visiting Canberra will also visit the arboretum, but how many people will choose to come here over some other place simply because we have one?

L

A fully functioning health system would also be quite stunning for Canberra too

I agree with you 100% Mr Evil!

Mr Evil, Haven’t you read Katy’s press releases? All’s fine and dandy with the health system…..

tylersmayhem said :

After seeing other arboretum’s around the world, and reading the plans for the one in Canberra, we are very lucky to have one being developed for us – particularly for generations to come. It will be stunning!

A fully functioning health system would also be quite stunning for Canberra too.

Finally, it takes some antagonizing for anyone to show any positive comments about it! 😉

I challenge you all to look into previous posts about the arboretum which show much support. I just get tired of the Canberra-knocking that goes on all the time!

After seeing other arboretum’s around the world, and reading the plans for the one in Canberra, we are very lucky to have one being developed for us – particularly for generations to come. It will be stunning!

Re the water – That’s one of the big reasons I think alot of people have found it hard to support.

We seem to be able to arrange for water for a few thousand trees, and for new ovals at the junior and senior gaols – but community ovals have been let go and residents are still on restrictions. Restrictions should apply equally to all.

Still no-one has been able to answer why thre trees are being chopped down….

I reckon it’s going to be great, we’ve got a nice view of it from our living room. 🙂

I am struggling to find enthusiasm about the project also. I can think of many other projects that the Government could spend their cash on that would get me a curiously interested at the very least. If anyone would like to sell the concept to me… I am all ears ( well eyes ).

Aurelius said :

I am so torn! Tylers says something I agree with. Surely the universe must now implode?

So maybe you can explain why I’m supposed to jumping for joy about this?

L

Aurelius said :

Surely the universe must now implode?

Wasn’t that supposed to happen yesterday?

I am so torn! Tylers says something I agree with. Surely the universe must now implode?

I actually think the aboetum will be a nice addition to Canberra, especially since it was apparently one of Griffin’s planned features for the city.

What I don’t like about the aboretum is how Stanhope has gone about implementing the whole plan. After receiving flak in the media after the black budget he said that work on the site wouldn’t continue because of budget constraints – meanwhile work did continue on the site – and in fact although it did slow down for a while, it never did actually come to a standstill!

G-Fresh said :

“The Canberra International Arboretum and Gardens will feature different types of threatened and symbolic trees from around Australia and the world, and in the longer term present a sensational mosaic of permanent gardens. A bonsai pavilion, artworks, a café/restaurant, reflective pavilion and a range of other facilities to enhance the visitor experience are proposed.”

From act gov website

OK, so it’s another tourist attraction (gee, we don’t have many of those do we?). This one features trees (botanic gardens, anyone?).

I’m still failing to see what’s in it for me (to quote tylersmayhem) …

L

tylersmayhem said :

Instead of wearing blinkers like a bunch of narrow-minded senior citizens, learn more about it, embrace it, and I’m sure you’ll eventually back it when you see “what’s in it for ME”.

I’d be all for it, if I knew what was in it for me. tylersmayhem – apparently you know something I don’t? Care to share what’s so good about it, rather than just hammering us all for our negativity?

L

“The Canberra International Arboretum and Gardens will feature different types of threatened and symbolic trees from around Australia and the world, and in the longer term present a sensational mosaic of permanent gardens. A bonsai pavilion, artworks, a café/restaurant, reflective pavilion and a range of other facilities to enhance the visitor experience are proposed.”

From act gov website

tylersmayhem – don’t be tarring everybody with your negative brush. I for one can’t wait to see what the Arboretum is going to look like once everything is established.

AG Canberra – wouldn’t it be great if they could have waited a few months and given the trees away to families for Christmas. They are a perfect size.

What’s in it for the perfectly good trees that are being chopped down?

Tyler – I’m all for progress and have nothing really against the arboretum. I just wanted to know why the tres were being chopped down.

However – can you explain to me what exactly the arboretum will provide to us?
To me the place seems too bloody hilly to be of enjoyment to anybody but a mountain biker or a goat….

Mu guess is to make way for additional Arboretum.

It still stuns me how NOBODY is positive about the Arboretum! Canberra should be embracing this development – instead everyone just hacks the idea down. As history will show, as soon as the general public finally see the benefits of something new, you’ll all be saying “oh yeah, it’s a brilliant idea…I’ve always thought so blah blah blah”.

Instead of wearing blinkers like a bunch of narrow-minded senior citizens, learn more about it, embrace it, and I’m sure you’ll eventually back it when you see “what’s in it for ME”.

amarooresident said :

Don’t think those trees were replanted. They seeded themselves that’s why they’re not in neat rows

They were replanted by contractors in early 2002, after the ACT Govt had been paid insurance money for the loss of the original trees in December 2001.

justbands said :

> Another example of the ACT Govt’s stupidity: a mad rush to replant the pine trees after the 2001 fire, then rip them out 6 years later!

Well, you don’t know that. There could be perfectly normal & routine reasons for cutting out a row of trees. I have a pine plantation myself, thinning out the trees after some years is normal, sometimes even taking out an entire row.

They are being cleared, not thinned.

The arboretum is a good thing and should be encouraged by all.

This topic does not in any way concern stupidity.

Don’t think those trees were replanted. They seeded themselves that’s why they’re not in neat rows

This doesn’t look like thinning out to me – it’s wholesale clearing. By this morning they are into their third or fourth row….

> Another example of the ACT Govt’s stupidity: a mad rush to replant the pine trees after the 2001 fire, then rip them out 6 years later!

Well, you don’t know that. There could be perfectly normal & routine reasons for cutting out a row of trees. I have a pine plantation myself, thinning out the trees after some years is normal, sometimes even taking out an entire row.

Post Bushfire paranoia is my guess; plus a buffer for the Jon Stanhope “Truth and Honesty Memorial” aboretum.

Another example of the ACT Govt’s stupidity: a mad rush to replant the pine trees after the 2001 fire, then rip them out 6 years later!