organic urban spaces #5 - Ecological Landscape Management

ORGANIC URBAN SPACES #5
Ecological Landscape Management
By James Sottilo
Table
of
Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction .........................................................
Page 2
Projects
Central Wharf ......................................................
Page 3
Lincoln Center......................................................
Page 7
Museum of Modern Art .....................................
Page 11
Rockefeller Center ............................................... Page 15
Brooklyn Bridge Park .......................................... Page 19
References.............................................................. Page 23
Introduction
It’s been a rewarding adventure to be a part of the evolution of
the urban spaces mentioned in this book. I have enjoyed watching these projects come to life before my eyes. Many of these
projects lacked the vitality that can now be seen today. Void of
proper care, these public urban spaces were needing an oasis that
so many city people crave to escape from the concrete of buildings, sidewalks, and the offices they work in. To a enjoy a park’s
green grass, visit the garden in a museum, or to sit under a lush
tree on a hot day is a welcome relief. I feel privileged that I have
been able to do my part to help push nature along to get her back
to where she needs to be.
One of the great pleasures over the years has been the time I was
able to spend with landscape architects and landscape contractors. Many of these people I have become friends with and I tip
my hat for their amazing creativity and things they all do in helping to make sites green and healthy place for the public. I’m glad
to be a part of their vision.
Being a cancer survivor, I became involved in organic landscapes
in the mid-1990’s. Since then, I have molded my craft and have
been able to make a landscape look beautiful while being not
only safe, but also create a place filled with life. In these days,
surrounding yourself with the chirp of a bird or the buzz of a
bee, or perhaps a ladybug floating by, it helps remind us all that
it really is one connected world. Enjoy the urban spaces listed in
this book as I have enjoyed helping in creating them.
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Central
Wharf
The Central Wharf is located in the heart of Boston and was designed by the
team of Reed/Hildebrand. Located between the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy greenway and Boston aquarium, the Central Wharf was originally an open space prior
to . It is a combination of red and pink oaks which provides a beautiful space and
canopy with filtered light for the public to relax.
Before our involvement at the Wharf, we took note that the plaza and the tree
roots sit below the cobbles and gravel footings that support the cobbles. The trees
were placed in an engineered soil and the plaza was built over the entire tree
and soil system. Several of the large red oaks were suffering and rapidly going
into decline shortly after the project was completed. Several trees had bleeding
cankers on the trunks, a disease known as phytophtora (sp?) was raised as a possibility, but after testing in both the field and the lab, it was confirmed to be just
bacterial cankers.
We were asked by Reed/Hildebrand to review the condition of the trees and
soil, and after several soil test, we knew the ecto-mychorrhizal colonization was
around eight percent and, ideally, should be at thirty percent to allow trees to
absorb needed water and nutrients for growth. In the spring of 2008, we begin
treating the trees with a fungal liquid biological amendment, long term food
sources and ecto mychorrizal spores. Also, the canopy was treated with active
bacterial applications. Drip hoses were set over rootballs and one end left near
base of tree for us to inject our treatments into so that we can continue annual
applications to the trees.
Since then, the trees have rebounded and created a very dense and lush grove
in the middle of Boston. This plaza gives a feeling of a healthy green oasis in the
midst of a fast-paced urban setting.
Central Wharf won an ASLA award in 2011 for excellence.
3
Lincoln
Center
Lincoln Center is a performing arts center located in Manhattan, New
York. It is comprised of several large halls with open outdoor plazas where
the landscape was designed as a raised planting plaza that would eventually
become a grove of trees. Today, under the canopy of trees offers shade and
chairs where people sit to wait for performances or to mingle. The canopy
now provides full shade with patches of sunlight that illuminate the granite
dust base.
This canopy of trees is growing perfectly. Prior to planting, the landscape
contractor asked Ecological Landscape Management to prepare the trees.
We went ahead and traveled to a tree farm in New Jersey and pre-treated
all thirty trees with a natural nutrient cycling, endo-mychorrizal spores
and long-term food sources. Then, the trees were brought to Lincoln
Center and craned from the street over the concert halls and then into the
bosque all in one night. After, we then treated the trees and the new soil
with the same living system as done in the tree farm. After the soil was
in place, the entire soil profile and roots were covered with a protective
system that gives space for air movement. A granite dust was then laid on
top of this protective barrier, then trees were watered with an underground
irrigation system. This all took place in March of 2009.
Since that time, the trees have been under our personal care. We designed
a system that used active bacterial foliage sprays, liquid fungal compost tea
and certain foods that get injected into the various openings in the protective barrier. During our care, growth of the trees have been averaging
three to four feet per season. In the winter of 2012, we began a pleaching
program on the canopy as this style of pruning reduces the canopy to an
even dimension in height and width which gives a classic, yet well proportioned appearance.
In the future, we will prune the trees on an annual basis to maintain the
shape and shade density for people who enjoy time sitting under these
beautiful trees. Also, we release beneficial insects such as lacewings to keep
aphids at a minimum.
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This tree grove has turned into a living sculpture - providing the patrons of
Lincoln Center a way to escape the heat of summer on this cultural landmark.
Museum of
Modern Art
MoMa is a modern art museum located between 53rd and 54th
streets where a sculpture garden is attached. This garden is visited
by thousands of visitors annually that come to MoMa to view art,
architecture and the life that surrounds it. The garden itself is a
living art piece and the open plaza allows for concerts and fundraisers, as well as an area for guests to relax and take in the green
environment.
Before our care, the landscape was a post three year installation
and all synthetic materials were used including pesticides and
urea-based fertilizers. Over time, we transitioned the sculpture
garden into a 100% organic site. The collection of Birch, Beech
and Elm trees are now all managed using beneficial insects, traps
and a natural nutrient cycling system that we developed exclusively for the sculpture garden.
Just this past season, one of the weeping Beech trees needed to be
replaced for construction purposes. Working close with the museum and the contractor, we were able to manage the tree from
time of purchase in the nursery through installation and as part of
the ongoing natural maintenance. Installing the tree was a herculean effort as streets needed to be closed and the tree was lifted
over 20 foot tall walls and into its new home. The tree is currently
acclimating with the remaining two and growing well.
Today, the garden thrives and the trees are full and prosperous
making for a pleasant visit for art lovers all around the world.
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Rockefeller
Center
Rockefeller Center is located between 48th and 51st street and
between 5th and 6th aves, and is visited by thousands of people annually. It is a classic urban building and plaza development in the
middle of the hustle and bustle of busy New York City life where
Radio City Music Hall, NBC, the Rockefeller Christmas tree, and
the skating rink can be found.
Most of the Rockefeller Center landscape has been unchanged
in style since it was created in the 1930s. Partnering with Erik
Pauze - the garden manager - we have turned the landscape into a
sustainable organic system. We have used such materials as predator mites for spider mite control, and active bacterial and fungal
compost teas for canopy treatments. We have also been able to
build a whole root and soil system based on soil biology including
nutrient cycling. Zero fertilizer has been applied to these trees in
the past decade.
Today, the landscape is visited by masses of people throughout the
year and is always under heavy pedestrian pressure. Among the
visitors are historians, gardeners, international guests and urban
dwellers. The trees continue to prosper as well as the roof tops that
are some of the most decorative in the city. Visitors are also given
the opportunity to enjoy decorative gardens and seasonal displays
that include holidays such as Easter and Christmas.
The Rockefeller Center trees have won such awards as New York
City’s finest street trees during our management. Much of this site
is noted for its greenery.
15
Brooklyn
Bridge
Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park is a multi-acre waterfront park built on the old shipping piers located on the Brooklyn side of the East River. When driving
along the FDR in New York, the park jumps out as a refreshing, healthy
green park that softens the old industrial area of downtown Brooklyn.
The park now welcomes thousands people a day to run, soak in the sun
or let their children have fun in the play areas. The park also features a
movie night and occasional concerts.
Before the park was designed, there were worn down concrete piers with
rundown buildings on them. Because of its proximity to water, the park
was in need of a maintenance program that prevented the use of synthetic
fertilizers and/or pesticides.
We worked closely with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates during the
final design phase to develop soil specifications to re-create the natural
nutrient cycling. Also, deeper rooting and elimination of pesticides was
the goal, as well as a long-term natural maintenance program for the park
that has since been implemented.
There has been virtually no loss of plant material. The lawns are green and
vibrant, while the whole landscape becomes a carbon sink that eliminates
the use of synthetic inputs. Moving forward, we will help train the staff at
BBP to manage the park in-house while also creating an onsite compost
tea facility to manage the park’s waste stream.
Working with the horticultural staff of BBP, we are creating a park that
will be admired by all for years to come. Because of the closeness to the
water, the natural system usually takes two to three weeks to show the
above ground vibrancy compared to its synthetic counterparts. However,
during dry periods and after weekly movie events that hold up to five
thousand people on the lawns, the park rebounds much quicker.
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References
Visit us on elmscapes.com
Books:
http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/biology.html
Professional Brewers and products:
www.greaterearthorganics.com
www.earthfort.com
www.Mycoapply.com
Home brewers:
www.simplici-tea.com
Soil biology testing labs:
Soilfoodweb.com
rodaleinstitute.org
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