We have long known that urban trees help mitigate air pollution. But what about questions of how significant that mitigation is, how we track it, and where it occurs? A 2014 paper, “Assessing the relationship among urban trees, nitrogen dioxide, and respiratory health” by Linda George, Meenkashi Rao, Todd Rosenstiel, Vivek Shandas, and Alexis Dinno… More
It’s Memorial Day here is the U.S., so our office is closed. For readers in other countries – or people who just want a little distraction on the holiday weekend – here are five articles we read recently and really enjoyed. From the practical to the personal, these pieces all offer some new perspective on… More
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) – aka drones – are all over the news. As they get lighter and more affordable, the applications for their use widen. Brian Ritter, an ISA Certified Arborist, Registered Forester, and current PhD candidate in Forest Resources at Clemson University, studied their applications in urban forest inventories, summarizing his research in… More
OpenTreeMaps are collaborative, crowd-sourced projects where citizens help inventory urban trees, learn about the environmental benefits trees provide and explore nature in their city. Kelaine Ravdin, owner of Urban Ecos, has worked as the project lead on OpenTreeMap projects across California, including Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Kelaine’s work blends a deep… More
In February I had the opportunity to speak with David Dockter, an arborist with the Department of Planning and Community Environment and Public Works in the city of Palo Alto, CA. As someone expert in trees who works within the building permit and planning department role. Dave has a unique perspective on working with developers… More
We spill a lot of ink on this blog on topics like policy, history, research, and opinion as they relate to green infrastructure. That’s great – and we’re going to keep doing it! – but where trees are concerned, sometimes it’s before and after photos that tell the most compelling story. Pictures document change in a… 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
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
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
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
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