[CANUFNET] Looking for hard surface planting experiences/successes

[Sadia Butt]

Dear Stephen, Thanks for this email as it outlines that you need to have a
knowledgeable person who is vested in the outcome of trees on site ensuring
that trees survive.
We (forestry and other tree expert colleagues)  are seeing the same with
new tree planting practices and current mulching trends
in southern Ontario. Trees are being planted too high and volcano mulched.
We are all working so hard to increase tree plantings and increase
municipal canopy cover percentages, that oversight at these critical stages
is negligence.
We cannot rely on warranty replacements to build our respective forest
canopies in a timely fashion.
Thanks again Stephen.
Best regards
Sadia




On Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 8:53 AM Stephen Smith via CANUFNET <
canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:

> 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
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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