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.
Image: While it's not all good, researchers are reporting some positive news for Perth's trees.
"While most trees were reported in poor health, our data also included a substantial number of healthy and less stressed trees," Associate Professor Thompson said.
While researchers had encountered a number of challenges, including inaccurate tree location data due to map input effects and mixed pixel effects caused by surrounding vegetation, efforts are being made to correct these issues and improve accuracy as the project continued.
"Our focus now is on correlating the tree health ratings with satellite observations to assess the extent of the impact on affected plants," Associate Professor Thompson said.
"Observations that were submitted from outside the Perth area have been shared with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, whose work focuses on understanding the broader impacts on forests and bushland.
"We are grateful for the continued support from local residents in Western Australia and their dedication to the health of trees in southwest WA and Perth."
For more information, visit the Canopy Resilience Project website.
