Nort wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2024 4:31 pm
I personally love the number of native trees in areas like this, for an area trying to attract tourists and visitors it's so very Australian.
There's a real level of cultural cringe some people seem to have, wanting things to look like a European city. We're Australia, should play that up.
But the problem is that most eucalyptus trees with their typically sparse and high canopies offer very little in the way of shade compared to many introduced deciduous trees. I'm all for natives in much of the parklands and rural/semi-rural areas but in urban areas I think there are far better options for shading footpaths and places where people gather.
Compare walking along the Plane tree lined Pathway of Honour between Government House and the parade ground, or the stretch of North Terrace terrace between KWS and Lot 14, and many of the gum tree lined footpaths through the parklands which are stinking hot by comparison despite being in the middle of a huge park.
I've also noticed many councils increasingly using gum trees along footpaths and question the sense in doing this if the end goal is to provide a shaded walkway for pedestrians and to reduce the urban heat island effect. I suspect a lot of it is as much about the political optics of planting natives, natives and more natives as opposed to trees which are actually fit for their primary purpose.
The newly redeveloped Woodville Road is a great example - what's needed here to activate the street is trees which provide great shade. The eucalyptus trees which have been planted will not do that anywhere near as well as, for example, London Plane trees.
I know there's a much larger discussion over habitat and food for native fauna but I think the wholesale move away from non-native trees is a mistake in many inner urban applications.
