The sound of birds in trees is so ubiquitous we may not think about the strong connections these organisms have with one another. Birds need urban trees for food, nesting and protection. Those who work with trees may not be aware that certain tree pruning activities can endanger nests and remove habitat for our feathered… 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
Last month we shared a “To 10 Takeaways” blog post about the Soil in the City conference earlier this summer. Today we’re sharing the Top 10s of another conference – the International Society of Arboriculture, held in Milwaukee, WI from August 2nd to August 6th – again compiled by L. Peter MacDonagh, FASLA. This list is a… More
Specifications and details are required elements of the design and construction process – they’re what ensure the proper components get built in the right place and to the right standards. Yet for trees, all too often the details and specifications don’t actually depict conditions that are optimal for growth. ANSI A300 established standard tree planting… 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
Pacific Northwest readers, take note. James Urban, FASLA and four other presenters will be leading an Up by Roots workshop at the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle on October 15th. This one-day workshop will highlight the principles of soil science and their use in facilitating the growth of healthy trees and developing water efficient landscapes. Healthy… 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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