Ferntree Gully
Belgrave
Mail Covering the Dandenongs in the Yarra Ranges & Cardinia Shires
Indigo an ambassador
6 Tuesday, 23 June, 2015
9
Angels set to rock
A Mail News Group publication
21-23
Sports of all sorts
Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808
Talks held on trees By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS THE Outer East Tree Forum welcomes residents to a night of discussion and information about decreasing urban tree cover. “People want trees gone for the hell of it and do not think about the long-term effects,” event organiser Jordan Crook said. “The purpose of the forum is to show people in an urban environment that trees have an important purpose." Mr Crook, who has studied conservation land management at Swinburne University, is worried about the decline in tree cover in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs. Mr Crook said the forum started as a way to educate people on the importance of trees but it has grown into more than that. The forum has developed to include prominent guest speakers with representatives from Yarra Ranges, Knox and Maroondah councils to attend. “I’m hoping we can inform stronger policy and better outcomes,” Mr Crook said. Even the more densely wooded areas such as the Yarra Ranges are not free from excessive tree clearing, Mr Crook said. “I went to school in Sassafras and even in the more vegetated townships the lack of cover is increasing,” he said. Mr Crook said that preserving trees in urban environments was as much about replacement as it was not removing trees at all. Mr Crook said there were many benefits to a community to preserve trees and tree cover. “Trees have both an economic and environmental place
in that they help to cool homes and provide habitat for native wildlife,” he said. “Recent studies have shown that trees in an urban environment help in mental health.” “We should be keeping as many trees as possible as they are a massive asset,” he said. Guest speakers at the forum include Dr Anna Foley; Senior Advocate for Environmental Heritage for the national trust, Dr Greg Moore from Melbourne University, and Manager Urban Landscapes for the City of Melbourne Ian Shears. The forum begins at 7.30pm on June 24 at St Bernadette’s Primary School Hall in The Basin. There will be a question and answer session after the presentations with time for everyone to ask questions and talk out any disagreements.
Decreasing urban tree cover is up for discussion. 140674 Picture: VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
Rachael needs a new best friend
Rachael Grooby of Monbulk needs your help to raise funds for a trained assistance dog. Diagnosed with epilepsy, migraines, and extreme anxiety, Rachael also has no vision in her left eye, which greatly reduces her mobility. Rachael’s mum Belinda and the Grooby family is seeking donations to raise funds for a registered assistance dog for their nine-year-old daughter. You can donate to Rachael’s cause via her Go Fund Me campaign at www.gofundme. com/wnvw5w Picture: VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
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