Water In The Big Apple

This post is written by Katrina Marland and originally appeared on Loose Leaf, the blog of American Forests

American Forests has had a lot to say over the years about the relationship between forests and water. From protectingsourcewater to managing overflow in cities to advocating for forests’ integration into the Clean Water Act. And of course, we’ve been planting trees to restore watersheds for decades. Despite all this, the message about forests and water only really hit home for me when I learned about the water in New York City. Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Stormwater management | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Silva Cell Installation Pricing and Productivity

As Installation Coordinator, a big part of my job at DeepRoot is working with contractors to help make sure that they are comfortable installing the Silva Cell and to act as a technical resource when needed. Many contractors have questions about productivity during Silva Cell installations, which is what I want to talk about today. Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, DeepRoot news, Silva Cell | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Uptown Normal “Smart Growth” Award Video

Last year, the Uptown Circle, in Normal, IL, was honored with the IL-ASLA President’s award. Now it’s been awarded an EPA “Smart Growth” award as well.

Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Silva Cell, Video | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Greens Roofs Will Cover Toronto

Man, those Torontonians! They continue to impress us with their aggressive green infrastructure policies. Back in January of 2010, Toronto became the first North American city to make installing green roofs on new commercial, institutional, and multifamily residential developments compulsory – now that requirements will apply to industrial developments as well.  Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Green infrastructure, Stormwater management | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Silva Cell Installation: Medical Mart & Convention Center
Cleveland, Ohio

Last week we attended a Silva Cell green roof installation at the Medical Mart and Convention Center in Cleveland, OH.

This project was designed by URS Corp. and installed by Independence Excavating. Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Silva Cell | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Here We Go Again: Climate Change & Trees

Today we have another reprinted post from Bert Cregg, an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Department of Forestry at Michigan State University. It originally appeared on his blog, The Garden Professors.

As usual, the beginning of spring is a busy time on the research side of my appointment.  This past week we began setting up for a major new project.  The goal of our newest study is to look at physiological traits of street trees that may enable them to better withstand future climate change. Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Urban Trees | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Silva Cell Installation Guidelines: The Video

Man. The day is finally here. The Silva Cell installation guidelines are now available on our YouTube channel. Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Silva Cell, Video | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Million Trees? Only If We Can Keep Them Around

Trees are a huge asset to their communities, yet we frequently fail to plant them in viable conditions where they can grow to maturity. Credit: Edward Marritz

This post originally appeared in Next American City.

In February, the U.S. Forest Service published a report indicating that cities around the country are losing around 4 million trees per year. Of the 20 cities included in the study, 17 showed significant losses of canopy cover, and 16 showed significant increases in impervious hardscape (or paved surfaces that don’t absorb water). At the same time, cities like Los AngelesNew YorkSalt Lake City and Philadelphia continue to announce “Million Tree” planting initiatives as part of citywide green infrastructure efforts.

But are these initiatives likely to result in long-term success for urban trees? I’m not optimistic. That’s because we can’t expect to increase canopy cover, environmental utility or tree mortality rates simply by increasing the number of trees we plant — we have to change how we plant them. Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Green infrastructure, Urban Trees | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Silva Cells Coming Soon to Venice Island

This picture is of the Venice Island Recreation Center, in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA.  The island sits between the Manayunk Canal and the Schuylkill River and between the Lock and Cotton Street. And in about three months, Silva Cells will be installed here. It will be the first usage of this product by the Philadephia Water Department. Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, DeepRoot news, Silva Cell | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Looks Like

A combined sewer overflow (CSO) – the “the discharge of wastewater and stormwater from a combined sewer system directly into a river, stream, lake or ocean” – sounds bad enough. But have you ever seen one? Continue reading

Posted in blog entries, Stormwater management, Video | Tagged , , | Leave a comment