City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/65193
ccording to its website, Hume City "is located on the urban-rural fringe, just 20 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. Hume's vast 504 square kilometres comprise approximately 65 per- cent rural land, 25 percent urban land and 10 percent occupied by the Melbourne Airport." Forestry on the Urban-Rural Fringe: Hume City, Australia A Photos by Jason Summers It is known for "rich cultural diversity, with approximately 140 nationalities and 125 languages other than English spoken in the home." It is a growing city; its current population of approxi- mately 171,996 people is projected to reach 244,575 by 2031. Jason Summers is the manager of parks and open space at Hume City Council. What are the some of the current priority projects and/ or hot topics in Hume City Council Urban Forestry? Jason Summers: We are working hard on updating our inventory and tree management system to ensure it is up to date and accurate. We recently restructured the framework of data collection to ensure we are managing risk and have a full understanding of the condition of our urban forest. This takes a lot of work and resources. The big focus is on establishing trees and substantial effort is being applied to ensure this happens. We've planted over 50,000 trees in the last ten years. Since we have developed a detailed accurate inventory of our trees, they are now considered assets and we are con- sulted before any works occur near them. This allows us to protect trees from damage and ensure we have a healthy urban forest. Recently we have been on a heightened alert after early sightings of myrtle rust, a serious fungal disease that Mulching under the canopies of the significant river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) to retain moisture in dry conditions; Hume also provides up to 20,000 litres (5283 gallons) of recycled water per tree annually in drought conditions 12 City Trees