Introducing Two New Programs! National Green Infrastructure Certification Program Initiated under the leadership of DC Water and the Water Environment Federation, the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) sets national certification…
Gleanings April 2019
We’ve scanned the media – in print and online – for items of interest to ELA’s ecologically focused audience.
When Your Contractor Is Not Familiar with Ecological Design
by Amanda Sloan
You’ve designed an ecological landscape, but the contractor hired to build it is not familiar with ecological practices. What to do? One landscape architect shares strategies for ensuring an ecological design results in an ecological landscape.
Prepare for Success with Subcontractors
Contributors: Lauri Johnson, Nanette Masi, and Trevor Smith
Managing a project with multiple phases and many subcontracts can present scheduling challenges. We asked three ELA members to share their insights into how they screen subcontractors and successfully manage projects with many players and many moving parts.
Maintaining Grounds Equipment, an interview with John Reilly
by Bruce Wenning
As the head mechanic at the oldest country club in the United States, John Reilly is responsible for a range of equipment and maintenance needs. Take a glimpse at the inner workings of an organization that requires meticulous lawn care and landscape maintenance.
Microclimates Made Visible in Your Yard
by Karen Bussolini
As the season lurches from winter to spring, it can be a good time to scan the landscape for microclimates. Rocks, walkways, slopes, water can create slight climatic differences across a relatively small area.
Lighten Up: Avoiding Soil Compaction
by Maureen Sundberg
In March, crocus pop up from a warm spot in the garden while snow and ice patches still cover the lawn and beds. You’re anxious to get out into the yard, but that melting snow and ice has saturated the soil. Your best course of action? Stop yourself.
The Birds and the Trees: Managing the Urban Forest for Wildlife
by Dr. Susannah Lerman
Trees and shrubs provide ecosystem services and societal benefits in urban and suburban environments. They also provide vital habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. A new tool correlates habitat requirements for songbirds, evaluates the bird habitat potential at ecoregion scales, and can guide habitat improvement plans.
Ten Reasons To Make Hand Built Three-Dimensional Models
by Bryan Quinn
Showing examples of previous work can get a client to consider other visions. Another option? Build a three-dimensional site model. The author shares ten reasons he advocates for 3-D models and shares how his company incorporates model building into their projects.
Greening Greenfield
by Julie Snell and Michele Adams
Albert Greenfield Elementary School in Philadelphia was the first school in the district to implement a “green schoolyard.” This project was an early example of how public landscapes in the city can offer significant connections to the natural world, benefiting students and the community.
Sustainable Stormwater Using Bioretention: Engineering Better Water Quality
by Allen P. Davis As (sub)urban growth continues to consume undeveloped land, stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces grows in importance as a contributor to water resources degradation. Impervious surface creates…
Managing Forests as a Natural Climate Solution: Understanding the Contributions of Heterogeneous Landscapes
by Ian A. Smith and Lucy R. Hutyra Constraining the global average temperature rise to below the targeted 2°C (3.6°F) will require both a reduction in greenhouse gas emission rates…
