We welcome all Mayors, Councillors and Local Government staff to come over to our booth (95) and say hello and find out more about how we help Local Governments better manage urban trees and naturals areas, with cost saving technologies and expert scientific advice and services.

The thermal imaging results, which are in the City of Perth’s draft urban forest plan, put a figure on the reality of that relationship.”

Fantastic to see the City of Perth  communicating  the linkage between tree canopy and heat.

The work provided in this article,  is the result of a precision urban forest monitoring project carried out by ArborCarbon and partners in early 2015.

It is essential that we use this type of high-resolution imagery for  precision baseline measurement and monitoring  to achieve realistic targets and sustainable urban forest management.

See article in today’s West Australian by Kate Emery here.

Victoria Avenue is much cooler than treeless streets Picture – Bill Hatto -The West Australian

On Monday night the WA Greens launched their new Urban Forest Plan for Perth,  at the WA State Library.

The event was a huge success, filling the 207 seat lecture theater to capacity and forcing some late comers to have to watch from the entrance.

Urban trees and green spaces look destine to be an important election issue this year, as communities across Perth are becoming increasingly concerned about increasing tree removal and bushland clearing, which is causing rising urban temperatures, the loss of biodiversity and amenity.

The Greens plan is exactly what Perth needs with our scorching summer temperatures. However, as Senator Scott Ludlam pointed out, achieving it will require work in other areas, such as improving public transport and cycling infrastructure to reduce the need for more and more roads.

It will also require  Local Governments to take measures to educate residents about the many important benefits that trees and natural areas provide and take measures to protect them.  Many will also need to embrace new technologies that are available to better monitor and analyse their urban canopies and improve the ways in which the manage them.

The State Government (WAPC) determines our planning laws and must give approval for much of what Local Governments do, so their role will as be crucial, as their current planning laws enable developers to build and pave over virtually every thing.

Change must come from the people themselves, as most trees and vegetation are being lost from privately owned land, due to urban infill and redevelopment.  Councils can only do so much, street trees and parks will not be enough.  We wont have a leafy city if we don’t stop removing existing trees and start leaving room to plant new ones.  In the past people retained a lot more trees and built around them, these days blocks are completely cleared and leveled.  It seems builders have forgotten how to build on the natural contours of the land?

Image: Battery Park, New York – Greens Urban Forest Plan

Going to the trouble of building around  beautiful mature trees is well worth the effort.

This amazing home which was built by the principal of Modal Design in the LA suburb of Venice, California, is a great example.  Read the article about this project in Dwell Magazine .

California has a hot and dry climate similar to many parts of Australia and US designers in the warmer states like California and Texas especially, are increasingly incorporating mature amenity trees in their designs, with stunning results.

Studies show that trees  add value to properties, so it is about visual appeal.  As urban temperatures rise, properties with large shade trees will become increasingly sought after.

The benefits are both visual and tangible  Outdoor areas like the one below can be enjoyed from day one in a new home, improving quality of life immensely.  Man-made shade sails and structures just don’t enhance the amenity or cool like big shade trees.

At ArborCarbon we have received a noticeable increase in enquiries from planners and designers requesting Arboricultural reports in their initial site context analyses, with the objective of retaining and building around existing trees.  Builders are also contacting us for advice on how to protect trees on construction sites.

It is great  to see more people thinking outside the square and incorporating and protecting beautiful mature trees. The health benefits provided to the occupants of a dwelling by surrounding trees should not be underestimated.

ArborCarbon’s  Dr Paul Barber, was asked to comment on last night’s Today Tonight;

“Trees keep us cooler and are good for our health, so why are we chopping so many down?”

“CALCULATIONS show that redeveloping the SAS’s Seaward Village in Swanbourne could mean the loss of 25,000sq m of cooling tree canopy, in addition to an estimated 12ha lost in the City of Nedlands recently.

“You’re certainly going to lose tree canopy if you bowl it all over – about that there’s no doubt,” Arbor Carbon director and Murdoch University associate professor Paul Barber said.”

Read the full article