The 3-30-300 rule

Dutch urban forest expert, Cecil Konijnendijk of the Nature Based Solutions Institute, has devised a set of guidelines to assess the bare minimum benchmark for nature in urban spaces.

The 3-30-300 rule: ‘If you look out the window can you see 3 trees?’ ‘Is there 30% canopy cover?’ ‘Do you have a park within 300m?’

Drouin's CBD English Elms provide great shade - they have canopy

Research by the RMIT University of Melbourne in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich found that most cities failed the 3-30-300 rule, particularly the 30 part.

Professor Thami Croeser of RMITs Centre for Urban Research says, “It seems like a lot of people have views to enough trees, but they're not getting enough canopy …You could possibly argue that it's a bit of a global phenomenon of too small trees in cities.”

Native Frangipani is a popular street tree native to the rainforests of northern NSW and Queensland - virtually no shade!

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts that Australia is expected to have its hottest summer yet in 2025. Studies indicate that something like 30-40% canopy cover is the minimum required to combat the effects of urban heat islands developing. Street trees with minimal canopy just don’t cut it.

The avenue of Angophoras and Mountain Grey Gums in Main South Rd cast wonderful shade all day long - helping to reduce the UHI effect

Drouin’s large canopy remnant and planted trees (eucs, oaks, planes, etc) are going to prove to be valuable in the face of global warming.  Perhaps we need bigger back yards or bigger nature strips – or both – where a decent canopy tree could be planted?

Weed alert - Watsonia

It is the time of year when the roadside weed, Watsonia or Bugle Lily, is in full bloom.

Watsonia is a native to southern Africa. There are about 70 species worldwide. The one we have in our district is most likely Watsonia meriana. It is a garden escapee that has become well-established around the country. One of its first introductions was to a private garden in Adelaide in 1842. It appears as a listed plant in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens in 1859.

The species forms dense colonies in roadside localities and disturbed bushland sites, particularly in wet areas. Watsonia has exceptional capacity to reproduce both from seed and vegetatively.

Some references suggest it can be toxic to stock. Native wildlife certainly appears to avoid it. The main issue with Watsonia is that in natural bushland sites, the dense colonies crowd out any native plants in the vicinity.

Control of Watsonia can be difficult if not done with proper follow up procedures. Watsonia is a declared noxious weed in Baw Baw Shire.