We recently got an inquiry from a reader in response to our chart, How Much Soil To Grow A Big Tree?, asking whether there is a way to estimate the DBH of a tree based on its caliper, or vice versa.
What is the difference between a complete street and a complete road? This is a distinction that I didn’t give too much though to until reading an entry on Strong Towns unpacking a problem that they term as the co-opting of complete streets.
In Part 1 of this series I talked about the basics of soil compaction and how soils are broken, and in Part 2 I discussed whether and how broken soils can be fixed. Today, in Part 3, we’ll look at how this information is relevant for people considering using the Silva Cell in their projects. Because… More
Root barriers have somewhat been relegated to the side what with all of the hullabaloo about the Silva Cell. This is a little sad to me, since root barriers have been an effective tool used to help maintain the integrity of sidewalks and other hardscapes for over 30 years. They are also an important… More
In Part 1 of this series I talked about the basics of soil compaction and how soils are broken. Today, I’ll look at whether broken soils can be fixed. Since soil compaction so often causes problems after construction, many scientists have studied the effectiveness of ways to avoid compaction or reverse it after it occurs…. More
The work of our esteemed, excellent, and extremely good looking partners, The Kestrel Design Group, is featured this month’s Landscape Architecture Magazine article, “Native Analogues.”
Like soil and other vegetation, trees are an element of the built environment typically associated with the landscape. It makes sense. They are land-based organisms that dominate the natural world. They certainly are nothing like pipes, sewers and other grey infrastructure. Right?
Urban soils are typically inhospitable places for trees, other plants, and their oxygen breathing microorganisms. Construction equipment, grading, and even human foot traffic leave urban soils much more compacted than natural soils. Typically 40-55% of the volume in a healthy forest soil consists of pore space. This pore space consists of varying proportions of air… More
Uptown Circle, the centerpiece of an urban redevelopment project in the central Illinois town of Normal, was recently honored by the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects at its annual Celebration in Chicago. Designed by Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, the project received the President’s Award in the Urban category, the highest recognition… More
There’s more to street tree selection than just good looks (although of course we all have our favorites.) Rooting behavior, disease resistance, projected size and flower/fruit type are just a few of the factors that affect what we plant and where. Somehow we’ve still ended up with only a handful of trees species that are… More
I just returned from the UK, where I made lots of presentations to a bunch of great folks about trees, stormwater and minimum soil volumes for trees, and what those things mean for London and other UK cities. Besides the Royal Wedding, to which I wasn’t invited, the great Clash song “London Calling,” rang in… More
According to the Vancouver, BC Board of Parks & Recreation, the oldest street trees in the city are these broadleaf maples on Pender Street (next to Victory Square). They were planted in 1897!
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
Request a Quote [email protected]
Tel: 415 781 9700
Toll Free: 800 458 7668
Toll Free: 800 277 7668
Fax: 415 781 0191
