Latest Publications

While some of us are still working remotely we continue to collaborate in research partnerships, engage with industry and foster student projects. Read about some of our current research in these recent publications. See all publications

Relating the climate envelopes of urban tree species to their drought and thermal tolerance
Hanley PA, Arndt SK, Livesley SJ & Szota C (2021) The Science of The Total Environment

Paul Hanley and colleagues assessed the use of climate envelopes of plant species to predict the vulnerability of tree species in future urban climates. They sought to predict drought and thermal tolerance of commonly used urban tree species using climate variables derived exclusively from open-source global occurrence data. They quantified three drought and thermal tolerance traits for 43 urban tree species in Melbourne and examined the relationship of these traits with predicted values derived from the climate envelope of each species. Their results suggest that climate envelopes determined from species occurrence data alone may not predict drought or thermal tolerance at the resolution required to select tree species for future urban forests. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142012

Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces
Mata L, Andersen AN, Moran-Ordonez A, Hahs AK, Backstrom A, Ives CD, Bickel D, Duncan D, Palma E, Thomas F and Cranney K et al. (2021). Ecological Applications: 17-.

Amy Hahs contributed to this investigation of how urban greenspaces support biodiversity. Researchers looked at insect populations across public parks that differed in planting design elements, midstorey growth forms and plant origin (nonnative, native, and indigenous), to assess (1) the relative contributions of indigenous and introduced insect species and (2) which plant species sustained the highest number of indigenous insects. They found that the insect community was overwhelmingly composed of indigenous rather than introduced species, with indigenous midstorey and canopy representing key elements to maintain rich and functionally diverse indigenous insect communities. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2309

International approaches to protecting and retaining trees on private urban land
Ordóñez-Barona C, Bush J, Hurley J, Amati M, Juhola S, Frank S, Ritchie M, Clark C, English A, Hertzog K, Caffin M, Watt S and Livesley SJ (2021) Journal of Environmental Management: 15-.

Camilo Ordóñez-Barona and colleagues provide a global outlook on protecting and retaining trees on private urban land. They used literature and case study reviews, and views of local and international urban forest professionals and found innovative cities combined policies, planning schemes, local laws, and financial incentives. They suggest that incentivising positive behavior and implementing a “pay first” principle may be useful and recommend engaging community and fostering collective stewardship. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112081

Ten years of greening a wide brown land: A synthesis of Australian green roof research and roadmap forward
Williams NSG, Bathgate RS, Farrell C, Lee KE, Szota C, Bush J, Johnson KA, Miller RE, Pianella A, Sargent LD, Schiller J, Williams KJH, Rayner JP (2021) Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 62: 127179 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127179

The barriers to wide scale implementation of green roofs in Australian cities are well documented, and this work synthesises the last decade of Australian green roof research that has sought to overcome these barriers. This research includes work on substrates, plant physiology and ecology, stormwater retention, building insulation and energy benefits and human well-being. An overview is given of the current status of the Australian green roof industry and remaining knowledge gaps, and a roadmap for future progress is provided. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127179

Read more research outputs from the Green Infrastructure Research Group