THE opinion piece on March 3 on planning for our parks of the future reflects opinions expressed increasingly about the lack of shade trees in our city streets.
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One only needs to look down Russell Street from William Street, or down Keppel Street, to see just how ugly and uninviting our streetscapes are without sufficient street trees.
But what is sufficient or sustainable?
The reported minimum sustainable level of street tree canopy cover in CBD areas is 15 per cent.
In the 17 city blocks of Bathurst’s extended CBD, including the precinct of Keppel Street, we currently have less than two per cent street tree canopy cover and over several blocks we have zero coverage. Is it any wonder we feel the heat?
We are not only deprived of shade and cooling that could be as much as four to five degrees, but we have no protection from reflected UV light which on most summer days in Bathurst is rated extreme.
We are advised to expect longer, hotter and drier summers and we are also advised by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage that the most cost-effective way to adapt to the expected hotter summers is to increase our tree canopy cover.
Council has advised that the Bathurst Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) is currently being upgraded with a draft available for public comment late in May of this year.
Expectations are the VMP will provide a plan for our parks and open spaces of the future as well as provide the community with the minimum sustainable street tree canopy cover.
