[CANUFNET] Looking for hard surface planting experiences/successes

[stephen at ufora.ca]

Accumulation of salty water in the root zones killed off a lot of trees on a
couple of major street rebuilds here in Toronto. The drainage system built
into the installations wasn't installed properly so there were pockets where
the water wouldn't drain and the roots were sitting in salt water for weeks.


In one case the soil that was used to fill the holes was extremely poor
subsoil not what was specified.  There seemed to be no adequate supervision
when it was being installed. 

Have someone competent and with the authority to order corrections standing
over the work crews to make sure they do what is intended and not take
shortcuts or accept substandard materials just to get the job done on time
and on budget. Don't rely on guarantees to ensure the contractor does what
they're supposed to - make sure they do it. No excuses. Get someone who has
done the work before successfully design it not the junior designer on staff
with no experience.

There is no substitute for having somebody who cares about the result on
site all the time to make sure things are done properly.  Relying or written
specs, contracts and guarantees to get things right has resulted in a system
of everybody being able to shift the blame for mistakes onto others (and
they have ways of avoiding it too) and the public ends up paying twice to
get what they wanted in the first place.  Lowest bid isn't the only way.

The most expensive tree planting is a failed planting, because you have to
pay to do it again. 

Stephen Smith
Urban Forest Associates
Urban Forestry & Ecological Restoration
www.ufora.ca
Office/fax 416-423-3387
Cell 416-707-2164

-----Original Message-----
From: CANUFNET <canufnet-bounces at list.web.net> On Behalf Of Michael
Richardson via CANUFNET
Sent: Friday, October 6, 2023 7:34 AM
To: Canadian Urban Forest Network <canufnet at list.web.net>
Cc: Michael Richardson <mrtree at kos.net>
Subject: Re: [CANUFNET] Looking for hard surface planting
experiences/successes

Barriers to successful planting include:

- Too much water;
- Too little water;
- Deicing salt;
- Lack of organic matter;
- Wrong tree for site;
- Lack of space;
- Lack of funding;
- People;
etc.

There are lots of good books concerning trees and urban sites but very few
mention the important secret: site inspection and assessment and planning is
needed by competent people prior to specifying plants, let alone planting.
The possession of a professional stamp, certification, or qualification does
not necessarily mean that the staff are experts for the specific task.
There are failed planting attempts across southern Ontario municipalities;
the cause of the failure is often due to lack of knowledgeable assessment
planning.

The question we should all be asking is: do we spend our money planting many
trees and hoping for the best, or do we spend our money on a few trees and
ensure they have the planning, space, and after care, to allow them to
thrive and reach useful sizes.

Shigo says Touch Trees; I suggest that you cannot plan for trees without
Touching Soils at the initial phase.

M


> Dear urban forestry colleagues,
>
> We are working on a project with our local Business Improvement 
> Association in Ottawa to examine the barriers around successful hard 
> surface tree establishment along our main street, and how to overcome 
> them. We have completed a cursory literature review, but with limited 
> data, I am reaching out to the UF community with hopes that some of 
> you will be willing to share your anecdotal experiences on what you 
> feel are the best ways to plant trees successfully in hard surfaces. 
> We recognize that soil volume is a significant barrier, and will be 
> making recommendations to increase this, where possible, and 
> incorporate the use of soil cells, if feasible. For situations where 
> this is not an option, what are the next best alternatives?
>
> If any of you have experience in your areas with hard surface 
> planting, I would appreciate learning from you!
>
> Please feel free to contact me directly if you prefer:
> astrid.nielsen at dendronforestry.ca
>
> Thank you,
>
> Astrid
> ___________________________________
> *Astrid Nielsen, *MFC
> Ontario Registered Professional Forester ISA Certified Arborist® ISA 
> Tree Risk Assessment Qualified
>
> astrid.nielsen at dendron <astrid.nielsen at dendronforestry.ca>forestry.ca
> <astrid.nielsen at dendronforestry.ca>
> +1.613.805.WOOD (9663)
>
> www.dendronforestry.ca
>