In the end, the core of all of our discussions about green infrastructure comes down to soil volume. Adequate soil volume is the seedling from which our particular variety of green infrastructure grows (literally and figuratively). It is what allows us to even consider the role that huge, mature trees and on-site stormwater management can… More
Cities provide uniquely challenging conditions for trees. Pollution, heavily compacted growing media, vandalism, and maintenance requirements all complicate the plight of the urban tree and compromise its ability to survive to maturity and make a meaningful contribution to its environment. Yet, cities need trees — desperately — to help reduce pollution, crime and speeding and… More
By Albert Key While there is much empirical information on wind throw, ultimately, we do not know the exact stresses which wind puts on mature trees, as the only way to academically test wind throw is with young trees. A study that I worked on with Dr. Tom Smiley of the Bartlett Tree Laboratory generated… More
The Silva Cell portion of the Project 180 (Oklahoma City) Streetscape – Phase 3 began a couple of weeks ago. Installation Coordinator Pat Greeley was on site to conduct a contractor training and oversee the initial phase.
One of the Silva Cell system’s most powerful selling points from a practical perspective is its modularity. The 2’ x 4’ x 1.5’ cell can be oriented to fit in almost any space, and our details provide guidance for all kinds of standard and non-standard site elements. As a result, the Silva Cell gets used on… More
At the end of last month, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of the Better Market Street Project. Market Street, one of San Francisco’s largest thoroughfares, is at once both a main artery of the city and one of its biggest messes. Congested traffic and mass transit, confusing pedestrian and bike crossings, pathetic (PATHETIC) street trees… More
Click here for a general overview of the factors that influence how deep tree roots grow. Or, continue reading below to dig in to the science a bit deeper. By James Urban, FASLA Here’s an objection we face a lot when working on Silva Cell projects: “Tree roots don’t grow more than 24″ (65 cm)… More
Last we checked, the trees in suspended pavement at the Bartlett Tree Lab were doing awesome at 5.5 years. Growing season 6 photos are in and they still look great! (Structural Soil twig on the left, Suspended Pavement twig on the right).
In areas where it snows and freezes, salting is a frustrating reality of the road. Salt used for melting ice on pavements in northern climates is quite harmful to trees and soil. The most common and least expensive form of ice melting salt is sodium chloride, which is the same salt we put on our… More
By L. Peter MacDonagh, RLA, ISA, LEED-AP This post has a lot of statistics. If you are tired this may not be the blog post to read. Reading it when you are well rested will probably help. The May 2010 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine has a terrific article in it, “What is a Street Tree… More
This is a fascinating table compiled by Fiona Watt and Bram Gunther (both with the New York City Deparment of Parks) that we learned about at the ASCE Low Impact Development Conference.
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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