See you all in 2020!

Merry Christmas from Urbaqua!

Urbaqua is closing its doors for the year, with everyone ready for a break before getting into the swing of things again on 6th January 2020!

It seems like the year is ending on a rather environmentally extreme note, what with bushfires, heat waves, and droughts seemingly dominating a lot of Australia’s headlines. However, this just serves as a reminder of how powerful nature can be and how vulnerable our communities are if we do not give it the respect it deserves.

The recent 40+ degree conditions in most capital cities definitely reminded us of how valuable trees are as assets for public health, the need to retain and revegetate where possible as part of development, and the need for water in order to sustain them (as well as keep ourselves cool and hydrated!).

The recent New WAter Ways bus tour (Urban Greening in Perth, on 14th November 2019) provided attendees with some great insights on how to manage challenges in achieving this, including:

  • Trees survive better in close groups than as individual trees;
  • Trees need an uncompacted soil volume to thrive. This can be easily provided by underground structural systems (such as Stratavault) which provide the bearing capacity required for pavement (and roads, carparks, roofs etc.)
  • Trees with a root space provided by underground cells grow much faster than those without;
  • Connecting tree pits to the stormwater system has additional benefits including passive watering of street trees;
  • Trees in car parks add economic value to shopping centres as people will choose a place and shop longer if their car is shaded;
  • Trees need sufficient curtilage (space) around them to stay healthy;
  • Trees can be established in laneways with creative parking provision; and
  • Retaining trees requires each tree to be surveyed, not just for trunk location but also canopy location.
  • Retained natives at Rosehill Waters, Guildford. The POS was made wide enough to include the entire tree canopy.
  • Retained natives at Montario Quarter – providing extensive shade and habitat.
  • Numbered and surveyed tree for retention at Rosehill Waters, Guildford
  • Shade trees at Forster Park car park. Trees were grown in vaulted cells to provide enough space and soil for optimal growth.
  • Replanted strawberry tree at Montario Quarter – an existing heritage tree made a central feature around a communal edible garden.
  • This old, flowering gum at Montario Quarter was retained by obtaining approval from WAPC to modify a two way street into a one way lane for the section around the tree itself.
  • Retained natives at Montario Quarter.
  • Gum tree planted into vaulted cells at Yagan Square in the Perth CBD
  • Gum trees planted into vaulted cells at Yagan Square in the Perth CBD

Thanks again to Andrew Tucker (Pritchard Francis), Belinda Foster (DBCA), Chester Gooden (CITYGREEN), and Matt Dunstan (Urbis) for providing their experiences to the eager attendees!

On that note, Urbaqua wishes everyone a safe (and cool!) Christmas and New Year’s holidays! Please enjoy this gift from us to kick off festivities – a video of our resident engineer attempting to get a spare at last night’s Christmas party bowling competition (and not getting it – sorry Ross):