The team from the Western Sydney University’s Institute for the Environment (HIE) is carrying out a review of scientific and trade reports as well as field studies, to better understand the impact of species differences and climatic conditions on root to shoot balance, especially for high-value container and ex-ground tree stock.

Over the course of the project, the team will work with two or three production nursery businesses in each of the mainland states.

First stop has been Alpine Nurseries at Dural in New South Wales. Business Development Manager Ken Bevan is on the advisory committee for the project, and spent time giving the team a run-down on the production practices and constraints that impact on tree stocks.

At each site, at least five tree stock species will be surveyed from three categories:

• Tall, slender species that are typically faster growing;
• General species with average form and growth rates;
• Stockier or thick-stemmed species that are typically slower growing.

This should enable the team to provide industry with guidelines to achieve consistent, high quality results when planting tree stock grown in different regions in Australia. It’s hoped this will include some kind of online tool that growers and industry can use to visualise and verify their tree stocks against the Standard to see how they comply.

Root to shoot balance is considered central to the rapid establishment and successful growth of tree stock used in landscape planting.