I remember the first time I saw Harold and Maude. It was here in San Francisco, in Dolores Park, on one of their movie nights. I’m sure it was freezing cold and foggy. There is a scene, for those of you haven’t seen it or saw it years ago, where Harold and Maude liberate a… More
Community-based tree care organizations are a critical component of tree longevity in many cities and towns. These organizations provide training for volunteers to become advocates and stewards of trees in their neighborhoods. At Tree Pittsburgh, a non-profit in Pittsburgh, PA, this program is called Tree Tenders. Last week I talked to Tree Tender Nicole Moga…. More
So it’s not exactly the same thing as a proper Christmas tree, it’s much cooler. San Francisco Department of the Environment and non-profit Friends of the Urban Forest have partnered to create a “Dreaming of a Green Christmas” program where, instead of a traditional (cut) pine tree, you get a young potted tree. After Christmas… More
Community-based tree care organizations are a critical component of tree longevity in many cities and towns. These organizations provide training for volunteers to become advocates and stewards of trees in their neighborhoods. At Tree Pittsburgh, a non-profit in Pittsburgh, PA, this program is called Tree Tenders. There are nearly 1,000 Tree Tenders volunteers in the… More
Most urban trees in North America are planted in inadequate soil volumes and other inhospitable conditions that doom them to premature decline and death, meaning that we rarely capture their full ecological utility or enjoy their beauty. But, there are exceptions to every rule, and street trees are no different. Indeed, some trees planted in urban areas… More
As an urban trees and soils consultant, I am always looking for studies that examine how trees survive and adapt to the built environment. One of the biggest questions and confusions I encounter is the issue of whether organic matter (something that I discussed in a previous post) needs to be added to urban… More
Part 1 of this blog series summarized recent studies in Minnesota, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and King City, Ontario, which all found that the difference between summer and winter performance of bioretention systems is not substantial, even on sites with severe winters. Now that we know that, how do we go about maximizing bioretention performance in… More
Of all the benefits of urban trees that we discuss on this blog, there’s one that we haven’t addressed: food production!
You don’t need much experience in arboriculture or landscape design to notice that planting trees in cities is very different from planting trees in forest environments. There are many reasons for this, but perhaps the biggest is the difference in composition of the soil.
Research to date has shown that bioretention can be effective for water quality treatment and for preserving the pre-development hydrologic function of a site, but what happens when air temperatures dip below freezing? Studies indicates that with proper design and maintenance, bioretention can function well even in cold climates.
As a soils guy, I have a lot of discussions with clients and colleagues about the quantity of organic matter in soil. Perhaps surprisingly, there is a lot of confusion and misinformation around this issue. What is organic matter, and where does it come from?
I have to admit that one of the things I love most about street trees is the wildlife they attract. There is something so wonderful about seeing a hummingbird zip around looking for nectar or hearing bees buzzing furiously as you pass under a particularly tasty tree. It feels extra special to see sites like… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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