The residents of Canberra have been called on to help look after the city’s street trees as summer’s hot weather takes its toll.
Manager of Urban Treescapes at Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS), Rachael Dawes, said that while the Directorate was conducting its summer tree watering program for around 18,000 young trees on nature strips and in parks by watering them once a month they “would benefit from an extra drink where possible.”
“While we are doing our best to ensure Canberra’s trees remain healthy, any help from the community in terms of watering is always appreciated and very beneficial, especially during the hot and dry conditions,” Ms Dawes said.
“A little help from the community will make a significant difference when keeping trees happy and healthy over the hot, dry Canberra summer.”
She said the effect of hot and dry conditions was cumulative as the soil could stay very dry from the weather conditions of the past few months.
“An eight-litre bucket of water once a week could provide enough supplementary water for young trees during dry periods,” Ms Dawes said.
“A larger tree of over five metres may require several buckets once a week, during the cool of the morning or evening. The water should be applied slowly under the tree close to the trunk.”
She especially asked people to look for stressed or struggling trees.
She said TCCS managed one of the largest urban forests in Australia, responsible for more than 760,000 trees on public land in residential streets, major road verges, urban parks and other open spaces throughout the city.
She reminded the residents that non-potable water was OK for the purpose.
“Second class water such as shower or bath water is suitable for watering plants,” Ms Dawes said.
