Whatever the size of lot, the dwelling now covers most of its developable area. Although the planning system does not actually promote this change, it does little to prevent it. It appears to be a physical expression of the way that Australian lifestyles are changing for the worse, in particular longer working hours. This in turn raises issues about health and wellbeing, especially for children.

Vegetation surrounding the dwelling plays an important role in microclimate, storm drainage and biodiversity, irrespective of whether the residents use their backyard. Its loss has serious ecological implications, a deficit rendered permanent by the changes to the housing stock.

The Life and Death of the Australian Backyard is based on a detailed quantitative study of this increasing, but previously unstudied, problem. It discusses the nature, uses and meaning of the traditional backyard, presents an understanding of the changes that have been happening and suggests possible remedies. All professionals working in the landscape and development industries, local government, consultancies and in universities should read this unique study of an issue of increasing significance to urban sustainability.

Tony Hall is an Adjunct Professor within the Urban Research Program at Griffith University where he is investigating, and promoting, sustainable patterns of urban form. In 2004, he retired from the position of Professor of Town Planning at Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, UK, and came to live in Brisbane. Originally a transport planner, he later retrained in urban design and has written significant books on design guidance. Rather unusually, he also served as a local councillor for Chelmsford and led its planning policy for seven years, achieving a government award for environmental quality in 2003.

This thoroughly updated second edition provides numerous illustrations and concepts to help prevent problems in young and midium-aged trees. From one-year-old liners to mature trees in the landscape, the Illustrated Guide to Pruning, Second Edition, provides a universal as well as species-specific techniques and offers approaches to address the challenges associated with pruning including disease prevention.

Subject areas covered include ecology and conservation, tree anatomy and evolution, pathology, silviculture, propagation and surgery. The different chapters cover trees from various world habitats, from northern boreal and montane coniferous forests to tropical and subtropical rainforests. The book is fully illustrated throughout with the highest quality colour photos. It will be useful to professionals and students in plant science, plant biology, ecology, conservation and to those working in forestry and arboriculture.

Author: Bryan G Bowes
ISBN: 9781840760859

While it can be easily understood by those with little or no formal training in insect identification, it also contains enough detailed and up-to-date scientific information to satisfy natural history buffs and students of entomology.

Author: Phillip Hadlington & Judith A Johnston
ISBN: 9780868404653

With increasing community recognition of the many problems associated with past clearing of native vegetation, interest in the propagation of indigenous plants has dramatically increased over the past few years. This has led to a greater diversity of native plant species being grown, including native grasses, aquatics, lilies and herbaceous species. This book outlines methods used to propagate native species from seed for small or large scale revegetation, tree planting or direct seeding projects.

Author: Murray Ralph
ISBN: 9780646428666

Like the previous four volumes, Volume 5 is written to be accessible to non-specialists with the key aim of facilitating the identification of native and exotic garden plants, with very minimal use of technical terms.

Volume 5 focuses on the monocotyledons, including such popular garden groups as irises, lilies, grasses, orchids, palms, bromelaids, and many more.

The five-volume set of Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia represents the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to the cultivated plants of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, the ACT and southeastern Queensland.

Authors: Roger Spencer, Su Pearson
ISBN: 9780868408323

Written by a renowned expert with 25 years of experience in urban watershed management, Porous Pavements is the first comprehensive "encyclopedia" of porous pavement materials. The book begins with five chapters that lay a foundation for all porous pavement materials and applications, introducing the types of materials and arrangements, their roles in the urban environment, and the principles of pavement structure, hydrology, and rooting space. The following nine chapters outline the costs, maintenance requirements, advantages and disadvantages for different applications, installation methods, sources of standard specifications, and performance levels for each family of porous pavement materials.

Relying on case studies and factual data from observed experience, and containing abundant references for further information, Porous Pavements gives responsible practitioners a complete toolbox from which to select the appropriate material for site-specific conditions, providing a "green" alternative to impervious pavements.

Author: Bruce K Ferguson
ISBN: 9780849326707

With its clear illustrations, accurate descriptions and compact format, 'Trees of Victoria and Adjoining Areas - 6th Ed.' will continue to meet the needs of beginners in bush exploration, as well as botanical students, land managers and conservationists

Author: Leon Costermans
ISBN: 9780959910544

The executive summary of the report includes information on the quality and quantity of trees; local authority resources and practices in managing urban trees; and the recruitment and skills of local authority tree managers.

The report and wealth of data behind it will be valuable to those engaged in establishing policies and setting appropriate levels of resource to plan, develop, and manage robust urban tree populations.

The executive summary on its own can be downloaded below. It is also available to purchase in hard copy, complete with a CD containing the full report, 12 case studies of good or innovative practice and a mapping tool with tree survey data.

The findings and recommendations in this report are those of the consultant authors and do not necessarily represent the views or proposed policies of Communities and Local Government.

Authors: Chris Britt & Mark Johnston
ISBN: 9781851128891

This hands-on guidebook provides practical, applied information on design considerations, site planning and understand-ing, plant selection, installation, and maintenance of trees in challenging urban environments.

Authors: Peter J Trowbridge & Nina L Bassuk
ISBN: 9780471392460

This complete book includes the latest information on the cornerstones of tree management--selection, planting, establishment, fertilization--while giving practical details on over 1,000 species. More than 500 color photos make tree identification realistic and enable students to easily select the right tree for the right landscape. The first text to guide students through the tree selection process, Trees in Urban and Suburban Landscapes is the most complete reference on tree culture and management.

Author: Dr. Edward Gilman
ISBN: 9780827370531

The disciplinary background of the authors is varied, ranging from forestry and horticulture to landscape ecology, landscape architecture and even pathology. The first chapters deal with the benefits and functions of urban forests and urban trees. But main emphasis is given to the establishment of trees for urban uses, including identification and selection of species, provenances and cultivars and to the management of urban forests and urban trees. The reader will also find a chapter dealing with Geographic Information Systems as a planning and management tool in this field and one which is dedicated to the development of management methods.

Authors: Konijnendijk, Cecil.C. Nilsson, Kjell. Randrup, Thomas B
ISBN: 9783540251262

This ambitious account looks at every state and territory from the earliest days of European settlement to the present day. It identifies and documents hundreds of places — parks, public spaces, redeveloped precincts, neighbourhoods, suburbs up to whole towns — that contribute to the distinctive character of urban and suburban Australia.

Author: Robert Freestone
ISBN: 9780643096981

Managing the urban water cycle needs to be underpinned by key sustainability principles of water consumption, water recycling, waste minimisation and environmental protection. The integration of urban water cycle management with urban planning and design is known as Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD).

One of the key elements of WSUD is the management of urban stormwater, both as a resource and for the protection of receiving water ecosystems. This requires strategic planning and concept designs that are underpinned by sound engineering practices in design and construction.

WSUD Engineering Procedures: Stormwater is designed to give practical engineering solutions to all those who need to implement WSUD. It covers:
• Sediment basins
• Bioretention swales
• Bioretention basins
• Sand filters
• Swale/buffer systems
• Constructed wetlands
• Ponds
• Infiltration measures
• Rainwater tanks
• Aquifer storage and recovery.
For each of these methods the manual provides design and maintenance procedures, typical drawings, design checklists, landscape requirements, worked examples and case studies. Additional work sheets and appendices are provided on a CD-ROM which accompanies the manual.

Author: Melbourne Water
ISBN: 9780643090927

Author: David Lindenmayer, Mason Crane and Damian Michael
ISBN: 9780643090262

This book offers organic and chemical control strategies for each problem. It also includes sections on Planning and Maintaining Your Garden and a detailed section on plant care laid out alphabetically.

Author: J McMaugh
ISBN: 9781864366990

Wattle - Acacias of Australia CD ROM

With the aid of Wattle, you will be able to identify any species of acacia in Australia. This powerful electronic key enables species to be quickly and accurately named, irrespective of whether specimens are in flower or fruit. Wattle is also a comprehensive information package, with descriptions and illustrations of the nearly 1200 species, subspecies and variants of acacia in Australia.

Wattle's browser interface enables quick access to the rich stores of information or to the identification component, the latest Web-integrated Lucid Player. Every species has a botanical description, a distribution map and diagnostic drawings, one of which is annotated to highlight the most critical features of the plant. Supplementary drawings are derived from well-known sources such as Mueller’s Iconography of Australian Acacias, Simmons’ Acacias of Australia, and Whibley & Symon’s Acacias of South Australia.

Author: Bruce R Maslin
ISBN: 9780643066069

Shortlisted in TAFE Vocational Education category in the 2003 Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing.

This practical guide shows how we can contribute to conserving water, our most precious resource, in our home and garden.

Waterwise House and Garden takes a planned approach to saving water in the home using different household reticulation options including the use of rainwater tanks and recycling greywater. It shows how to eliminate unnecessary watering in the garden by working with nature to create a garden that is both enjoyable and sensitive to the environment.

It explains the science behind survival strategies of plants in dry conditions, shows how soil and water interact, and demonstrates how to improve the soil in your garden. Included is an extensive list of native and exotic plants that are tolerant to dry conditions in both tropical and temperate climates.

The result is an accessible and informative resource guaranteed to help you reduce the environmental impact of everyday living, and dramatically reduce your household water bill in the process.

Author: Alan Windust
ISBN: 9780643068001