The University of Western Australia’s Canopy Resilience Project, launched in May to address drought challenges for local trees, is reporting encouraging results following decent winter rainfall in Perth.
UWA’s Centre for Water and Spatial Science has been assessing the impact of extreme weather on Perth’s trees, using a blend of advanced remote sensing and invaluable on-the-ground observations from the community.
Project leader Associate Professor Sally Thompson said, with more than 1,200 health reports submitted by residents, initial data showed encouraging signs of recovery in local tree populations.
“Winter rains have brought noticeable improvements to many areas of Perth, marking significant progress in the first phase of the Canopy Resilience Project,” Associate Professor Thompson said.
The reports cover a diverse range of species, although the majority focus on tuarts (Eucalyptus gomphocephela), marris (Corymbia calophylla), Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), peppermints (Agonis flexuosa), Queensland box (Lophostemon confertus), and general eucalypts.
Despite the positive news, satellite observations still showed that up to 45 per cent of vegetation in Perth experienced worse health in autumn this year compared to a typical autumn.
