Flora
Flora has been split into three sections:
Native flora provides an overview of the vegetation endemic to the Top End of Australia. There are specific pages that list some of the trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses found at treehugger: a desktop field guide. We are always adding to these sections, since there is little chance they will ever be complete or comprehensive.
Exotics deals with weeds and there are specific pages to help you spot weeds on your property along with advice on how to control or remove weeds. Like the native section we won't pretend this will ever be comprehensive.
The Revegetation section presents strategies and tactics for revegetating your block with native flora.
The importance of trees
Trees have provided us with shelter and food since the dawn of our evolution.
They have provided the raw materials for empires to be built and fleets of war to colonise and conquer. As our understanding of nature and the environment has increased it has become clear that trees have a significantrole to play in the health and ongoing survival of our planet. So (to paraphrase the Life of Brian), apart from shelter, fruit, timber and decoration, just what have trees done for us?
Well:
- tree rings provide a source of historical and climatic information;
- bark and boughs host countless plants and animals;
- leaves release the oxygen we need to breathe and absorb the emmissions we cannot;
- forests and woods provide an infrastructure for ecosystems;
- root systems maintain topsoils;
- trees increase the efficiency of water catchments.
Their importance is reflected in human history from the trees of Indigenous Australian's dreamings to the tree under which Budda gained enlightenment, from the apple tree which inspired Newton to the cherry tree Washington felled as a child.
Over three quarters of the world's population now live in cities, places where trees can play an important role in micro-managing environments. The trees most of us see around us are secure in their tightly controlled spaces. But the bigger picture sees trees being felled at a rate quicker than at any point in human history.
Things need to be done. Land clearing needs to be arrested and serious global land management strategies to be employed. The largest forests of remote lands and your local woods, they all need better governance to ensure that our species and other species can continue to survive in clean, non-toxic and sustainable environments.
For this to happen there requires a change in attitude;we need to regard trees not as an exploitable resource but as a vitally important part of the planets ability to sustain life.