Inner Melbourne alone has lost 2,000 street trees to major developments within a decade. Losing tree cover makes it even more difficult for our cities to cope with an increasingly tough climate.
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Articles on Urban trees
Displaying 21 - 35 of 35 articles
City trees are often short-lived and many others get cut down in their prime. Turning them into mulch both wastes timber and releases stored carbon. A wood rescue program creates a more fitting legacy.
Trees and the shade they provide are one of the best ways of cooling cities. But they also present challenges that are best resolved by managing this shared resource as part of an urban commons.
Greater urban density is making it harder to preserve, let alone increase, tree cover. It’s vital, then, to demonstrate the full value of green infrastructure for healthy liveable cities.
Cities around Australia have plans to increase their green space, but new research shows not all green spaces are equal. Good tree cover is better than grassed areas for residents’ mental health.
Thirty tree species make up more than half of Australia’s urban forests. Some won’t survive climate change, so cities must plant a more diverse mix of the right species to preserve their tree cover.
Some parks reduce violence in the local vicinity. Other parks attract crime. The difference has to do with how these urban green spaces are designed, programmed and managed, experts say.
A new study has calculated the tremendous cost of ash dieback to the UK economy.
Not all of the solutions to the climate and ecological crisis have to be painful.
Trees clean urban air, store carbon, slow floodwaters and can be used to design safer streets. Scholars are starting to calculate what these services are worth – a fitting topic for Arbor Day.
Koalas can cope with the stresses of city life provided we plan urban developments in ways that help meet their basic needs.
Moves to connect people with nature for both the conservation and health benefits point to the need for people to experience nature as they find it in the city, rather than only out in natural areas.
Darwin’s climate is getting even hotter and it’s one of the main reasons people leave the city. A lot more can be done, though, to make our tropical cities safe, cool and enjoyable.
Many US cities are investing in bike infrastructure and shade trees. Properly located, these additions can make streets cooler, cleaner and safer for all users – even those who drive.
Urban trees are literally made with the help of human breath – they turn the carbon dioxide we breathe out into the building blocks of plant growth. So your local trees have a piece of you inside them.
Top contributors
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Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Cities and Planetary Health, ARC Future Fellow in nature-based solutions for loneliness, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor in Urban Health and Environment; NHMRC Career Development Fellow, UNSW Sydney
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National Technical Executive in Ecology at WSP Australia Pty Ltd. Adjunct Associate Professor, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne
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Professor and Associate Director, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University
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Associate Professor, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University
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Associate Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
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Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University
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Part Time Instructor, Boston University
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Distinguished Professor, Director of Smart Green Cities, Macquarie University
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Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, The University of Queensland
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Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University
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Associate Professor in Planning, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney
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Lecturer in Global Sustainable Development, Nottingham Trent University
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Associate Professor, Design Studies, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney
