An excellent, medium sized deciduous tree. Very useful urban tree where an adaptable but ornamentally attractive tree is required. Tolerates enclosed, confined root spaces. Bark is thin and can be easily damaged by mechanical injury. Transplants easily with moderate to fast growth rate.

Cultivar. Dark glossy leaves, drought resistance, orange to red fall colour and a smaller ultimate size are inherited from Shantung Maple (Acer truncatum). The Norway parent (Acer platanoides) contributes faster growth, calliper development at an early age, larger leaves and adaptability to varied growing conditions.

Medium deciduous tree with a narrow upright form while young developing to a broad domed crown. Its fine textured branch structure evolves to a rounded crown and a mature height of about 10-12 m x 7-10 m wide.

Leaves palmate, glossy, dark green turning yellow to scarlet in autumn. Thick bark, grey-black, becoming lightly ridged and furrowed with age. Flowers are green, inconspicuous, borne in panicles.

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions including both slightly alkaline and acid soils. Tolerant of drought and air pollution. Grows well in limited soil space in urban areas. Transplants easily, and is generally free of any serious pests or diseases.

Click to download the fact sheet pdf

Fertilising trees refers to the practice of adding supplemental nutrients (chemical elements) required for normal growth and development.
You can’t ” feed” a tree, since trees produce their own sugar via photosynthesis, for which they use nutrients as part of the process.
A reasonably fertile soil will have enough nutrients to satisfy the requirements of growth on most established trees. Trees adjust their growth and development rates to the level of nutrients present in the soil, and will usually grow vigourously as long as the roots can continue to grow.
In nature, trees get nutrients from air, recycled organic matter, beneficial microbes, and soil minerals. In urban settings, the recycling of organic matter is often reduced, beneficial microbes may be minimal, and some minerals can be unavailable be- cause of the soil pH.
Lack of water and organic matter, and soil compaction often limit growth of urban trees much more than nutrient levels.
Infertile soils are most common in new building areas, both commercial and residential, where the ‘natural’ soil has been altered. Altered soils display poor physical and chemical properties for tree and shrub growth. Soil modifications, where required, along with proper fertilisation may improve nutrient uptake of plants.
Fertilising a tree can improve growth; however, if fertiliser is not applied wisely, it may adversely affect the tree. Mature trees making satisfactory growth may not require fertilisation.
Adding fertiliser, especially nitrogen, around stressed or root damaged trees can be harmful unless you have determined that the stress is due to nutrient deficiency.
Harm can occur when a tree in decline with low energy reserves attempts to incorporate nitrogen into cell components.
Since this process requires energy expenditure, reserves can be lowered further. This could lead to a further decline in health as trees with low energy reserves have reduced ability to deal with the effects of injury and pests.

Click to download the fact sheet pdf

14th-18th April 2008

Sustainable landscapes involve both technical and ethical choices (Thompson & Sorvig, 2000). What we hope to convey in our seminar ‘Sustainable systems for urban trees’ is information that could allow more informed approaches to introducing the principles of sustainability into our landscapes. Trees form the major soft landscape component in our landscapes. There is enormous benefit in us being able to create systems that allow trees in urban landscapes to flourish and be long-lived that meet design outcomes and do not have negative impacts on the environment. We need to start to think how we can advance the cause of sustainability in our landscapes. The seminar presentations should allow connections between disciplines towards the development of a common, mutually beneficial cause.

Reference:Thompson, J. W., & Sorvig, K. (2000) Sustainable landscape construction. Island Press

Venues & dates:

• Monday, 14th April 2008. Royal Queensland Golf Club, Brisbane
• Wednesday 16th April 2008. Macquarie Graduate School of Management. 99 Talavera Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113
• Friday, 18th April 2008. Yarra Yarra Golf Club Warrigal Road, Bentleigh East. Victoria

Speakers

Dr. Jason Grabosky is currently at Rutgets University in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. His current research projects include urban forest stocking criteria for New Jersey and modelling decay on oaks after reduction pruning using medical imaging software. He also collaborates on designed soils for trees and pavement; is looking at wind loading, transplanting and pruning response in landscape trees; and developing a modulus of root reaction in pavement layer design.

Kim Sorvig is a Research Associate Professor at the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture, University of New Mexico. Masters of Landscape Architecture, Univ. Pennsylvania, under chairmanship of the noted environmental designer and author Ian McHarg. He has been Contributing Editor at the American Society of Landscape Architects, Landscape Architecture. Since the release of his second book, “Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors”, Kim has been invited widely to lecture on topics related to sustainable design and its interpretive and educational aspects.

Dr. Peter Breen is a principal of EDAW. He has extensive experience in water resources management and the impact of land-use change on aquatic ecosystems. He has published on aquatic botany, wetland, stream and lake ecology, stormwater and wastewater treatment, water quality management and restoration ecology. Peter’s expertise has contributed to urban stream ecology, best practice stormwater management objectives, guidelines on constructed wetland and waterway design and bioretention systems.

Dr. Peter May principal of May Horticulture Services, taught at the Burnley Campus of The University of Melbourne for 30 years, developing expertise in soil science, urban soils and urban and landscape horticulture. Peter provides specialist advice in a range of areas including urban and landscape soils, landscape plant establishment, landscape plant selection and the management and maintenance of landscape plants, primarily to local government and landscape architecture firms.

To view the order of proceedings click on the thumbnail below

Online seminar registrations here.