The True Value of Tree Planting
With space and land at a premium in cities around the world, the need to make the case for green infrastructure and SUDs/LID has never been greater. Land use varies and clients and landowners will have diverse needs and a variety of ambitions and aspirations for the final result of their site. We often try […]
Providing Support from Concept to Installation
We understand the pressures that specifiers face in the fast-paced design world, and in particular, the fact that landscape is often one of the last considerations on a project. We are committed to making your life simpler and easier – fully supporting you from initial ideas to education on best practice tree planting and LID/SUDS […]
Trees & Water Sensitive Urban Design
Welcome to our 2018 Trees & Water Sensitive Urban Design publication – a step by step guide to successfully planting trees in a SUDS / LID context. As large free-standing stormwater reservoirs, trees have few equals. Their natural capacity for canopy interception and water attenuation mean that they are increasingly being viewed as fundamentally important […]
Why Do Urban Trees Fail in Hard Landscapes?
Planting trees into streets, plazas and other hard landscapes is now a fundamental part of creating greener, healthier and more resilient urban environments. But planting a tree and successfully establishing a mature urban tree are very different things. Trees in hard landscapes can struggle to reach their expected size, develop sparse canopies or decline prematurely. […]
The Importance of Deep Irrigation & Aeration
Successful urban tree planting depends on much more than what happens at the surface. Trees need access to sufficient soil, water, oxygen and nutrients throughout their rooting environment if they are going to establish successfully and develop into healthy, mature specimens. In natural environments, these conditions are created by relatively uncompacted soil, organic matter, rainfall […]
Managing the Root of the Problem | Part 1: The Dilemma of Unmanaged Roots
Every year, millions of urban trees die prematurely or are removed due to infrastructure damage and/or public safety concerns caused by poorly managed roots. This problem is largely a result of improper planting techniques, and although specific causes vary, there are some particular issues that account for the majority of issues – one of which is dysfunctional […]
Trees in Hardscape: Structural Stability vs Rootable Soil
Soil structure is fundamental for the planting of trees, as well as the stability of roads, buildings, and other infrastructure. It refers to two things: the arrangement of soil particles including silt, sand, and clay that aggregate together the void pore spaces between these aggregate particles In this article, we discuss why appropriate soil structure is critical […]
Amazon’s Trees Removed Nearly a Third Less Carbon in Last Decade
The amount of carbon the Amazon region’s remaining trees removed from the atmosphere in the last decade fell by almost a third, according to leading scientists. They continue by warning that man-made carbon emissions will need to be even more severely reduced in order to tackle climate change. Trees in untouched areas of the forest have been dying off at an increasing rate, […]
Signature Tree Drowns from Poor Drainage
A protected oak tree in the middle of a large shopping centre “drowned” from poor drainage, a builder of the site claims. Midsummer Place in Milton Keynes, UK opened around the great oak in 2000, but before long the tree began showing signs of stress from improper planting. According to sources, the construction crew wrongly dug out drainage […]
An Urban Treehouse That Protects Residents from Air and Noise Pollution
A potted forest of trees and branching steel beams disguise this 5-story apartment building in Turin, Italy. Designed by Luciano Pia, 25 Verde brings plants up off the ground in an attempt to evade Turin’s homogeneous urban scene and integrate life into the facade of the residential building. The undulating structure creates a transition from outdoors to in, […]