Mandatory soil volume requirements for street trees
Large mature trees provide 70% more economic and environmental services than small trees.
It takes 25m3 of uncompacted soil to grow a large 40cm diameter tree.
The city needs to mandate soil volume requirements to get the trees that will provide all of the environmental values that we look for from trees - shade, stormwater reduction, air pollution reduction, energy savings...
"Nearly all of the associated problems result from one underlying cause: loss of the water-retaining and evapotranspirating functions of the soil and vegetation in the urban landscape" EPA commissioned report - Urban Management in the US.2008
Michael James
shared this idea
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Clive Bethel
commented
Vancouver is the biggest cut block in the province, so yeah lets green it up!
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Clive Bethel
commented
Vancouver is the biggest cut block in the province, so yeah lets green it up!
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Marc
commented
Trees are so important for many reasons. Trees are good :-)
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Heidi
commented
Trees, Trees, Trees!
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Kathryn Maxey
commented
Vancouver is already the most beautiful city. Let's set an example and make it the greenest. I want to breath the fresh air that comes from trees!
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c.r..man
commented
Catherine is factually correct. Healthy street trees are essential for the quality of air in urban areas.
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Catherine Berris
commented
Absolutely!! It is amazing how often we landscape architects are asked to plant trees without adequate soil volume. The investment will pay off many times over.
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Michael James
commented
The followng cities already have or are in the process of passing Mandatory Soil Volume standards for their street trees: Vancouver is far behind ...
Toronto, Markham, Winnipeg, Langley, Oakville, Victoria, Kelowna