Trees do a tremendous amount for our communities in a number of essential ways. Unlike a streetlamp or a water main, their influence is diffuse— they affect everything from air and water quality, to flooding, to temperatures, to property values and incidence of crime. Urban trees are under more pressure and facing greater challenges to… More
Horticulture is the art of cultivating. Garden herbs, plants, produce, flowers, fruits, nuts, and trees all fall under the horticulture category. The common denominator in all of these is soil. One of DeepRoot’s favorite industry leaders and researchers of healthy soil and effective horticulture is Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott. Dr. Chalker-Scott is an Extension Urban Horticulturist… More
Horticulture is the art of cultivating. Garden herbs, plants, produce, flowers, fruits, nuts, and trees all fall under the horticulture category. The common denominator in all of these is soil. One of DeepRoot’s favorite industry leaders and researchers of healthy soil and effective horticulture is Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott. Dr. Chalker-Scott is an Extension Urban Horticulturist… More
As discussed in previous blogs, tree and soil provide stormwater benefits in many different ways: Cleansing: Trees clean stormwater through many different mechanisms, including filtration, adsorption, and plant uptake. Interception: Interception is the amount of rainfall temporarily held on tree leaves and stem surfaces. This rain then drips from leaf surfaces and flows down the… More
In 1978, James Urban had a chance meeting with a man named Tom Perry that forever changed the course of his career. Tom was a microbiologist with a PhD from Harvard. He was working for the Forest Service and was assigned to the urban forest department because, to hear Jim tell it, Tom didn’t fit… More
Ecologists group large geographic regions with similar environments and distinctive plant and animal communities into biomes. The environmental factors influencing biomes include latitude, the general climate and topography of the region, and soil. Soil is the foundation of every terrestrial ecosystem. Each biome has soils with characteristics unique to it.
Many factors affect tree health. Are they all equally important or are some more important than others? According to Kim Coder, PhD, Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care at the University of Georgia, soil compaction is by far the biggest constraint on tree growth. In a 2007 paper, he wrote, “Soil compaction is the most… More
We have a lot of resources about implementing minimum soil volumes for urban trees on this blog. Recently we’ve updated our list of municipalities that have a minimum soil volume standard. Trees need an adequate volume of root, oxygen-rich soil to thrive, and minimum soil volume policies are a powerful tool for arborists and other advocates… More
Everyone loves the changing colors, but until recently I didn’t know why it happened. There are three primary factors that affect fall color: the length of the day/night, weather, and leaf pigments.
Biodiversity in the urban forest is incredibly important to resilience and long-term planning. To help designers start thinking about ways to increase diversity, we’re starting a series on some of our favorite species. Many of the species included will be underused. Some may not be underused, but included anyway because they have so many great… More
There are now dozens of open-source tree maps in communities worldwide. The most successful mapping projects are those that provide citizen scientists with simple guides on how to accurately identify tree species and assess tree health. The more accurate the information on the tree maps, the more accurate the green infrastructure calculations they produce – and the… More
Silva Cells were originally developed to provide adequate tree rooting volumes even in areas dominated by pavement. They do this by extending rootable soil volume under HS20 load bearing surfaces. These rootable tree volumes and the large trees that root in them are also an efficient sustainable stormwater management system. Sometimes people ask us if… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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