Hiroshima trees to be removed for some TLC

Four vandalised Gingko biloba trees will be removed from the Fremantle Peace Grove in Beaconsfield tomorrow so they can be nurtured back to health.

The gingko trees were grown from the seeds of a tree that survived the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in 1945.

The seeds were presented to the City of Fremantle by the Mayor of Hiroshima in 2014 as a symbol of hope and courage to live in a world free of nuclear weapons.

After receiving the gingko seeds the City of Fremantle partnered with Ellenby Tree Farm and the City of South Perth Nursery, who carefully raised the trees until they were ready to plant.

They were planted at the Peace Grove in August 2020, but in April this year all four trees were sawn in half in a senseless act of vandalism.

City of Fremantle Senior Urban Forest Officer and tree expert Jeremy Thomas said the gingko trees will be returned to the City of South Perth Nursery, where they will have the best chance of survival.

“The City of South Perth were the recipients of the original seed that came from Hiroshima. When they heard of this senseless act, they reached out to us offering a caring hand and place for these trees to recover,” Mr Thomas said.

“Gingko are naturally deciduous trees and they go into a state of dormancy during winter, with no active growing above the ground.

“Since the vandalism we needed to consider what options we had to give the trees the best chance of recovery. We know the natural tree response will be to attempt canopy growth recovery by naturally stimulating dormant buds from beneath the bark around the remaining cut stem.

“During this re-emergence of new growth the trees will be particularly vulnerable, so rather than leave them in-situ we decided it would better to give them more customised care by placing them into a controlled nursery environment.

“We know that gingko have a tolerance to controlled root loss and a natural ability to regenerate and recover. The survival of the host tree from a nuclear bomb is testament to their toughness.

“As we’re dealing with living organisms there is always going to be an element of risk, but we’re optimistic that, with time, these trees will make a full recovery.”

Tomorrow the gingko trees will be carefully dug up by hand under the supervision of the City’s Urban Forest Team. They will then be wrapped to protect the roots from damaging light and air, well watered, and taken to the City of South Perth Nursery for immediate placement into new soils.

The nursery will have customised soils best suited for root regeneration, and will also be able to carefully manage nutrients and irrigation.

It’s expected it will take between 3–5 years before the trees will be ready to be returned to the Fremantle Peace Grove.