[CANUFNET] Tree wells and weeds

Thu Jun 17 09:18:30 EDT 2010

Hi Ian,

My apologies for not responding sooner but I have been away from the
office sampling. 

Thank you for letting me know that I did not fully explain myself.
VOCs, ozone, and the policies surrounding it are difficult to explain in
an email but here goes. 

Have you noticed the push towards products that don't reduce air quality
(both indoor, which eventually gets outdoor, and outdoor)?

For example, visit the Benjamin Moore website to see the no VOC
products. Here is a link:

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/bmpsweb/portals/bmps.portal;jsessionid=hpZ4
MhdFRdvC3GvhXngzkvPvMklscJKL3S1LVpbXNXT1vTvTQGy5!-1012232066?_nfpb=true&
_pageLabel=fh_mm_hiddenPage&np=public_site%2Fapplications%2Fmultimedia%2
Fnatura

The cost of the research to develop these products is being driven by
air quality issues in the US, particularly in southern California. You
likely have seen mention of that area in the LEED certification?

Why?
In the US, when ground level ozone (created by nitrogen oxides in the
presence sunlight and VOCs, which act as an enzyme to drive the
photochemical reaction) exceed a certain threshold in a given region,
federal funding to that region is cut. (I am Canadian Co-Chair of the US
Northeast Region Air Quality Committee.) 

Thus, the push to reduce VOCs in paints, stains, building products and
their LEED certification for air quality is driven by a need to limit
the VOCs that catalyzes ground-level ozone formation. It is my
understanding that scented personal and laundry care products will be
next.

Canada continues to develop its clean air legislation. 

For example, here is a link to the announcement of legislation that will
limit VOC levels in automotive refinishing products:

http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=714D9AAE-1&news=D388EF18-D3A8-
4226-BD23-FB0F3434973B

Here is a quote from that release:

 "The Government of Canada is serious about cleaning up the air to
protect the environment and health of Canadians, "said Canada's
Environment Minister, Jim Prentice. "This is one of a series of
regulations we are putting in place to reduce VOC emissions from
everyday consumer and commercial products."

I trust that the policy makers at the US Environmental Protection Agency
and Environment Canada know what is critical. 

I work on the response of trees and forests to ozone. Have a look at the
research that came out of Aspen FACE in Wisconsin, where I was an
investigator.

http://aspenface.mtu.edu/investigators.htm

If you were at the urban forestry meeting in Quebec, have a look at the
abstract of the paper on a proposed study of ozone and urban forest
trees, which a group of us at the Atlantic Forestry Centre worked on for
three years to bring it to life. The lead author was Percy. We developed
this project in consultation with 14 Canadian cities from Vancouver to
St. John's. 

Because of what I have learned from my research, I personally make every
effort to reduce my VOC footprint.

A garden centre in Fredericton brought in the recycled tire,
clay-coloured mulch several years ago, few bought it because of the
odour. I could smell it across the parking lot. It is no longer
available here.

I agree something has to be done with tires. Perhaps the next phase is
to render the product free of VOCs.

If you or anyone else needs a further explanation or a clarification
about ozone and trees, please contact me at 506 458-0113. 

Best regards,

Joanne

________________________________

From: canufnet-bounces at list.web.net
[mailto:canufnet-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of Ian Wilson
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 11:16 AM
To: Canadian Urban Forest Network
Subject: Re: [CANUFNET] Tree wells and weeds

Hi Dr. MacDonald,

I guess I don't understand your point, as these are made from recycled
rubber tires.  Will these tree mats really create an appreciable amount
of rubber odour or VOC's compared to the millions of rubber tires on
vehicles that are driving along the roads and releasing rubber particles
into the environment?  What is the alternative - to landfill the used
tires?

Thanks,  Ian 

From: canufnet-bounces at list.web.net
[mailto:canufnet-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of MacDonald, Joanne
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 5:55 AM
To: Canadian Urban Forest Network
Subject: Re: [CANUFNET] Tree wells and weeds

Good morning,

Here are several things to consider.

Are they LEED certified for air quality? LEED provides a maximum value
allowed. At any rate, they are still sources of VOCs. 

VOCs combine with exhaust fumes in sunlight to create ground-level
ozone, which damages trees.

Rubber comes from latex. Given the ban on latex balloons in hospitals
(at least in the Maritimes) together with warnings in Emergency
Department and dentist's offices to tell staff if you have latex
allergies, is it wise to expose people?

Anyone with sensitivity to rubber tire odour will find it difficult
especially when temperatures rise. The latest statistics on
Environmental Illness is that an average of 20% of the North American
population has it.

Please reconsider.

Regards,

Joanne MacDonald, Ph.D.

Research Scientist

Air Pollution and Forest Health

Natural Resources Canada

Canadian Forest Service

Fredericton

________________________________

From: canufnet-bounces at list.web.net
[mailto:canufnet-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of Ian Wilson
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 3:55 PM
To: Canadian Urban Forest Network
Subject: [CANUFNET] Tree wells and weeds

FYI - This might be of interest to other urban foresters.

We have a lot of open "tree wells", they are usually 4 or 6 feet square
tree pits in hardscape without a tree grate, and weeds have been an
on-going issue.  Especially now that we don't spray pesticides much
anymore.  

We've been looking for some alternative solutions for a few years now.
One product that we have tried that seems to work pretty well are the
recycled rubber tree rings but of course the problem is that they are
round and don't come in the right sizes.  Recently we were able to find
a manufacturer who is going to custom make some large rubber tree mats
for us.  These are 100% recycled rubber, LEED certified, they come in a
variety of colours and I believe they are porous so they allow water and
air to pass.

We're going to try some out.  In case others are interested in trying
this, here's what we've been quoted by Eco-Flex out of Alberta
(shekhar at telus.blackberry.net):

46" X 46" @$70ea less 20% your discount = $54ea

72" X 72" @$95ea less 20% your discount = $76ea

Freight and tax extra.

Availability 2-3 weeks from the date of receipt of the P.O. Because this
is a non standard / special size order. Future orders of the same size
will expedited faster.

Ian Wilson, Park Services Manager

Civic Operations

TEL 250 469-8842 

FAX 250 862-3335

City of Kelowna 1359 KLO road, Kelowna, BC  V1W 3N8  kelowna.ca
<http://www.kelowna.ca> 

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