One of the questions I am most frequently asked is, “How often do you root prune?” This is a tricky question and one for which I wished there were a more clear cut answer. First let’s dispel a myth. Ready? Ok, here it is. We do NOT root prune every tree in the nursery. (Take… More
In part 2 of this series, I gave an example of an i-tree study that analyzed the Chicago Region and encompassed seven counties. But i-Tree tools work on a much more granular level as well, so today I want to discuss about a study that looks at just one city: my hometown of Minneapolis, MN…. More
We’ve all taken shelter under a tree’s canopy during a storm, grateful for its ability to intercept rain. You may not realize this, but rainwater that passes through tree canopies is modified both volumetrically and chemically in processes that have been relatively well studied in forests. That modification, which encompasses several different components, is what… More
In anticipation of the American Society of Landscape Architects tradeshow later this week, today we’re highlighting an iconic tree planting project using suspended pavement – including archival photos and original section details – that took place in Denver in the early 1980s: the 16th Street Mall. -LM Denver has long been a place of significance in the… More
So you want to understand your urban forest better. Maybe it’s that you want to make the business case for its value, or understand where your tree canopy is strong and where it could still use work to help guide policy or budget decisions. In part 1 of this series, I gave a cursory overview… More
Mississauga Civic Centre is a 37,280 square meter complex that houses the Mississauga City Hall, a towering monument of post-modern architecture designed by Edward Jones and Michael Kirkland that opened in 1987. Although it received numerous accolades, the surrounding campus and Civic Square suffered from mid-century design perspectives on public spaces, catering toward keeping people… More
Question: What does “non-point source pollution” mean? Answer: What’s the point of non-point? The point is clear once we realize we’re talking about pollution. Non-point source pollutants are water contaminants that don’t come from a pipe, well, construction site, or any other well-defined, specific source. They come from a diffuse source of contamination originating in… More
I meet many people in the landscape architecture community who have heard of i-Tree… but don’t really know what it does. Basically, i-Tree is a suite of tools designed to quantify the structure of a community forest as well as the environmental services provided by that forest. It can be used at a wide range… More
Production/manufacturing nerds, this one’s for you! We regularly get questions about how and where we manufacturer Silva Cells to meet target performance requirements. I asked our Director of Operations, Rebecca Stevens, to discuss the various steps involved in our quality control process. -LM By the time a Silva Cell order is received by a customer, it is simply a necessary… More
My window looks out on 9 Mile Creek, a rural looking creek in an urban/suburban environment in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. In the six years our company has been here, this is the closest I’ve seen water come to the parking lot. For a number of weeks this spring and summer, the large ash trees on… More
Question: What is “compost,” exactly? I’ve heard the term my entire life, but I’ve never really understood what it means. Answer: Most gardeners and farmers know compost to be a rich, organic soil amendment, which can be used to improve soil tilth and supply plant nutrients. The term compost is also a verb for a rapid… More
Question: What does the term “groundwater recharge” mean and why is it important? Answer: Let’s start with the term “groundwater.” Groundwater is defined as the water that is obtained by pumping from below the ground surface from storage units commonly called aquifers. This water is an important source for agriculture irrigation as well as domestic consumption…. More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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