WESTERN AUSTRALIA Perth - evening view from Kings Park
Photo by Giovanni Rinaldi
You know I can remember Wes Fleming once telling me that roads last longer when the shade from a tree is protecting them. He reminded me about how important it was to consider that trees can also shade houses and reduce energy use and that lawns don't retain heat like paving does. What he and another nurseryman called Glen Fenton were referring to was the "urban forest" and how it is not to be underestimated as a valuable resource.
Many people probably thought this was just a couple of nurseryman spruiking their wares. Most of the people that work in nurseries however are passionate about the plants they grow and have a sense of belief that they are doing good for us. I can remember being told of a city in China banning the watering of plants because of water restrictions, only to see the city turn into a dust bowl and cause a significant increase in human health problems particularly harming eyes and lungs.
Now the facts are coming out of the benefits of plants in the city, as more and more research is being documented. In todays The Age Newspaper in Melbourne comes an article from a Dr Peter Fisher who works in the environment industry, specialising in water and climate change adaptaion. You can read his article here.
As I am sure he won't mind me spreading the message, here is just a couple of excerpts from his insightful observations.
"Greg Moore, of Burnley Horticultural College, has calculated that the 100,000 mature trees in inner Melbourne sequester 1 million tonnes of carbon, worth close to $20 million."
"The water saved in power stations due to lower demand for air-conditioning in cities because of shade trees may be greater than that saved from zero or drastically reduced irrigation of suburban gardens and public lands."
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