For the last two weeks in December I’m re-posting some of my favorite blog posts from this year. Today’s, by James Urban, perfectly captures what we need to do in order to create healthier urban environments for trees and soils. It’s simple. Touch trees. – LM Alex Shigo, one of the most famous plant biologists and… More
Browsing through YouTube, I came across this amazing video from 1950 on the topic of water movement in soils.
As of this summer, Raleigh, NC now requires a minimum of 600 cubic feet of soil for all street trees planted in the right of way for new developments. Their new Street Design Manual outlines this requirement, and the design methods available for achieving it, in section 6.18, page 82-86.
Many factors affect tree health. Are they all equally important or are some more important than others? According to Kim Coder, soil compaction is by far the biggest constraint on tree growth. In a 2007 paper, he wrote, “Soil compaction is the most prevalent of all soil constraints on shade and street tree growth…Many people… More
Tim O’Hare Associates LLP is a leading independent environmental consultancy based in the United Kingdom specializing in soil science and landscape engineering, including soil science, topsoil, habitat creation, sales pitch agronomy, and more. A few weeks ago I talked to Tim O’Hare himself to learn more about its reuse, recovery, and what it really means… More
A large-canopy tree is a very beautiful thing. On this, most people will agree. But is not only beautiful—it also benefits its community. It provides shade and shelter, protects air quality, and reduces air temperatures, water runoff, and human stress. A street lined with such trees is a desirable place to live and work, and… More
We’re happy to share today that we have released a soil specification for the UK market. It is available for download in PDF format on our website. The spec was written by Tim O’Hare, a soils expert and the principal of Tim O’ Hare Associates, a leading environmental consultancy specializing in soil science and landscape… More
I’ve discussed using trees and soils (green infrastructure) to manage stormwater in two recent webinars. This is a rich and complex topic, so to help break it down into digestible pieces I organize it in to what I call the First Principles of Urban Stormwater Systems. Those first principles are listed in the illustration above…. More
A study recently published in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening presents data showing that trees planted in paving can significantly reduce stormwater runoff. The results, published by D. Armson, P. Stringer, and A.R. Ennos, are taken from data collected in Manchester, UK from January 2011 to September 2011. The study created 5 test sites, each containing three 9… More
I spent a good part of last winter completing a literature review on bioretention media for a revision to the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. So when I attended the Low Impact Development (LID) conference in St. Paul, MN earlier this month, I was very interested to learn of a recent specification coming out of New Zealand:… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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