By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Green and Growing Editor
In Melbourne, Australia each of the city’s 72,000 trees have their own email address. Yes, you’re reading that correctly, each tree planted by the city has an identification number and email where people can send updates, and admirations, via email.
In 2009 over 40% of Melbourne’s then 70,000 trees were showing signs of stress due to drought. Something had to be done to save the existing and future trees. A plan was put in place that continues to this day. Each year 3,000 trees are planted with the goal of 40% of the city being covered by tree canopy in 2040. This will bring down the urban temperature by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius (7 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit).
In 2013 an interactive map showing where each tree is located went online. Each tree is represented by a small colored dot. When the dot is clicked on, a box pops up that shows the age range of the tree, the tree species, its id number and a button that says “email this tree”. The original intent of the interactive map was to provide a map of all the now 72,000 city planted trees and a way to email about an individual tree’s conditions. These emails go to city employees who help maintain the trees. Instead of only getting emails about the tree conditions though, emails with feelings of admiration and love were sent to the trees themselves. If a message is sent addressed directly to the tree, a response from the tree is the reply. A member of the urban forest team responds as if they are the tree itself.
One message to a specific tree was, “Hi tree. You are just outside my work and you make me happy:) Keep on growing and keep on treeing!”
Another was: “Dear Green Leaf Elm, I hope you like living at St Mary’s. Most of the time I like it too. I have exams coming up and I should be busy studying. You do not have exams because you are a tree. I don’t think there is much more to talk about as we don’t have a lot in common, you being a tree and such. But I’m glad we’re in this together.”
The messages to individual trees come from all over the world. One from Russia stated: “Hello, dear Tree. I read about this wonderful project and am supposed to write to you from another side of Earth – Russia. I hope you have good care and don’t get sick. One day we will meet, maybe.”
The Saint Louis region needs to plant thousands of new trees to replace the many thousands destroyed in the May 16th tornado. Although a local plan to give each tree an email probably hasn’t been discussed, the Melbourne example is an inspiration for cooling urban temperatures and warming people’s hearts.
If you would like to see the Melbourne tree map, and maybe send a love letter to a tree in Australia, here’s the link: http://melbourneurbanforestvisual.com.au/
To help with local trees and tornado victims, check out:
- Forest Park Forever -https://www.forestparkforever.org
- Forest Relief plants trees in urban neighborhoods impacted by the tornado – https://moreleaf.org/
- Tornado relief can be made to the Urban League – https://www.ulstl.com/#/
Linda Wiggen Kraft is a landscape designer of holistic/organic gardens. She is an artist and creativity workshop leader. She is teaching an all-day “Fantasy & Real Flower Art” workshop Oct 18th. Her ceramic jewelry and pottery are available online and at www.gardendistrictstl.com. Find out more, subscribe to her blog and Instagram at www.creativityforthesoul.com Call her at 314 504-4266
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