Urban Rejuvenation

[Peter Ryan]

I live in Melbourne, a city of 4 million people in the SE corner of Australia. Drought has enveloped this city for the last 10 years and our water storage levels fell to as low as 27% at the end of last summer. Significant rains have fallen this year with over 4 inches (100m) falling in a 24 hour period just over a week ago. The city water supply has increased to 45% and most country town’s dams in Victoria and NSW are full. A number of country towns had to truck water in last summer.

I was surprised to see this but even the lamp posts (once trees in their own right) are starting to shoot again.

C & C

[carregwen]

Never seen that before. Although we do have some Eucalyptus trees (native to Australia) in our garden. They were growing very fast and a few years ago we had them chopped to about five feet high stumps. The keep sprouting though!

[David]

Nice one Peter - that's what happens when you have a woman as PM. Only joking or SWMBO will be down on me like a ton of bricks Is it actually for real. Looks more like another tree hidden behind the pole.

The business about apparently dead wood sprouting is common. In Brazil it is put to good effect. Settlers to the Amazon region are given a square kilometer of land to clear and cultivate. They do this by cutting down the bushes and trees (not hardwood - urban myth) and using them to fence their patch of land. Within a year the fence has become a living barrier that requires constant attention. I have photographs of this but they are all pre-digital - I must get the scanner out.

Cheers

David

[Peter Ryan]

Thanks David,

The bit about the drought is certainly correct as is the relieving rains we have had and you are correct about the tree behind the lamp post. The tree had a very straight trunk so it looked like the post was sprouting. To me and felt like everything was rejuvenated by the rains.

Many of the large river red gums have struggled for years and need a good flood to survive. They suffer from progressive dry-back. We are hoping this will be enough to restore some to their former glory.

[wilgk]

Is it actually for real.

It certainly is - he kids us not - except for the fact that our water storage levels were even lower than metropolitan Melbourne, we had a complete and total ban on use of any water outdoors.
You could buy it in from elsewhere and store it in tanks only and/or tip 'grey' water from washing machines etc onto the garden.

A bird sanctuary where we used to take the kids to feed the ducks was completely dry, some families have children who have never seen an outdoor sprinkler let alone played under one.
It was remarkable....the irony of course is now the Big International Cycle race is coming to town, we have had soaking rain over Winter for the first time in years and the river crossing they will use near us is at flood levels.