My first introduction to the cityscape was blue trees – bright, ultramarine blue. Now there’s a way to bring our attention to the trees in our city! Downtown, Westlake Park’s honey locusts actually had blue trunks! I later discovered that what looked like paint directly applied to the trunk was actually a water-based colourant made from a rock called azurite so the treatment will eventually fade away with rainfall and time.
As it turns out Australian Artist Konstantin Dimopoulos along with Seattle Parks & Rec workers and local residents “painted” the trees together. The Blue Trees Project actually started in Vancouver. Its aim: raise awareness of global deforestation and the important role that trees play in our lives. It sure got my attention!
But there’s more to Seattle than blue trees. As we toured on we took note of trees and perennials abundant along the coastal roadways, parks, pub patios, and even downtown squares. I could easily see trees were valued as part of the cityscape and western aesthetics.
Also present were common urban challenges that many street trees face and the measures to mitigate them. I noticed a significant portion of street trees seemed to be columnar varieties bred to exhibit narrow, upright crowns – an interesting approach in particularly tight spaces – and something I’d like to research more.
But what I found most interesting in the coastal seaport was the use of shrubs as borders in large tree/soil pits along boulevards. It seemed to deter foot traffic from compacting exposed soil and cyclists from using young trees as bike posts which are both important in aiding the long-term health of street trees.
Our day and half was not nearly enough to explore the city and the canopy further but was well worth the visit. I might not have even heard of blue trees otherwise! What unique ideas have you seen to raise awareness for the importance of urban trees in our lives?
On Thursday, August 16, 2012 we held a talk at Metro Hall titled "International Influences: Inspiring ideas for trees in public space". Led by Brendan Stewart, Landscape Architect and Urban Designer at ERA Architects, it explored the ways we can borrow ideas, concepts and philosophies from other cities and bring them home to our own urban forests. In celebration of this theme, we launched a blog series where we reflect on the how forests from around the globe have inspired us. This is one of those stories. Watch this space for more in the series.