In January 2011, two live oak trees on the Auburn University campus were deliberately applied with an herbicide used to kill trees (Spike 80DF, also called tebuthiuron) in lethal amounts. The trees, located at an entrance to the University known as Toomer’s Corner, had traditionally been used as a gathering area for Auburn fans following team victories. The… More
In my experience as a naturalist, one of the hardest things in life is to live up to our own ideals. Nowhere is this clearer than in my conservation work, where – as director of Conservation Advocacy for Audubon Naturalist Society – I work to inspire residents of the greater Washington, DC, region to appreciate,… More
Downtown Fort Worth, Texas was a popular hangout for outlaws, cattleman, gamblers, cowboys, and many legendary names from the glory days of the Old West. The site’s historic architecture and rich heritage has been preserved through the development of Sundance Square, a 35-block collection of restored and replicated turn-of-the-century storefronts, outfitted with colorful landscaping and… More
If you follow us on Twitter, you might have heard that we’re headline sponsors of this year’s Trees, People, and the Built Environment conference in Birmingham, UK (April 2 – 3, 2014). This conference, which is hosted by the Institute of Chartered Foresters and was last hosted in 2011, seeks to gather professionals in different… More
In 2012 Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) committed a £15 million investment in Llanelli and Gowerton to help alleviate the risk of flooding in the area through the adoption of retrofit SUDS, or sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, that utilize greenspace and trees to prevent flooding by allowing rain to soak into the ground or slowly re-enter… More
My blog, The Garden Professors, has an ongoing and lively discussion about invasive plants. Let me state up front that none of the Garden Professors is promoting invasive plants. But the issues surrounding invasive plants are extremely complex and have profound implications for many groups with whom we work in landscape horticulture and urban and… More
Long-term planning has got to be one of the biggest challenges to the way we conceive of, design, and live in the world – that is also completely essential to our survival. Why is long-term thinking such a hard sell? And is there anything we can do to be better at it? According to a… More
Earlier this month I saw a press release issued by the Morton Arboretum that discussed their use on a product containing beet juice to deice roads and trails. The mixture is quicker and less toxic than using salt alone. It sounds like a joke, but it’s not. Beet juice is actually used as an additive… More
In the seven years that the Silva Cell has been on the market, a number of cities have designated it as an approved technology for their sustainability goals, whether for tree growth, on-site stormwater management, or both. Here is a list of all the places, organized by state/province, that include it in their policies.
For the last two weeks in December I’m be re-posting some of my favorite blog posts from this year. Today’s shares some of the most exciting news we got in 2013, when the Washington State Department of Ecology recognized the Silva Cell as being functionally equivalent to a rain garden. Scroll all the way to the… More
As of November 8th, the Silva Cell is officially approved for use as a stormwater best management practice (BMP) by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. According to the letter, which we are reprinting below, the Silva Cell may be used to supplement permeable pavement as a stand-alone water quality BMP. Here is the full letter:
We’re exhibiting at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) show this weekend in Boston! We’re in Booth 2037. The Expo will take place at the Boston Convention Center, and in addition to the tradeshow floor, there are a ton of great speakers on the schedule.
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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