National Arboretum 'future-proofed' against drought after months of rain, managers sayThe National Arboretum, which has been slowly taking root in Canberra for almost a decade, has seen its forests explode in growth after a deluge of rain this summer.
After spending the past eight years focused on just keeping its 100 forests alive through drought, heat and bushfire smoke, the arboretum's managers say the site has received a year's worth of rain in just six months.
The rain brought on the greatest growth in the arboretum's history — more than 30 per cent growth in many of its forests, according to manager Scott Saddler.
"[Compared to] the last seven years or eight years the trees have been in, this year has been extraordinary," Mr Saddler said.
But Mr Saddler said it was underground where the rain was making itself felt most.
"What [the rainfall] means for the trees is that the root systems are able to get down deeper, and it makes the trees more resilient," he said.
"So this particular rain has been just a godsend."
He said it had even been enough to "future-proof" the trees against future droughts and other hardships.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-25/national-arboretum-canberra-rainfall-futureproofed-la-nina/13188686
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