More Green Space in Chicago!

Photo by Justin Breen The Field Museum

Chicago continues to inspire!!

First I found out about their bird friendly skyscraper design and then next it was Milwaukee Avenue Green Development Corridor.  After that I read about all these other green nature initiatives that had been happening:

 - City Hall's Rooftop Garden
- the Green Roof Grant Program
- Nature and Wildlife Plan
- Green Alley Program
- Urban Forest Agenda
- 606 (green line)
- Chicago Botanical Garden's "Horticultural Therapy Program"
- Burnham Wildlife Corridor

and now it's Northerly Island!

They are rejuvenating the island with 400 trees and 12000 shrubs by 2017, which will add a more diverse habitat and resting spot for birds.

From DNA info "Northerly Island Is Now A Bird Paradise With 250 Species And Counting" by Justin Breen:

Stotz said that Northerly Island's new look has saved the lives of countless birds. The island used to feature only dry grassland, which kept birds from landing there. Instead, they would fly from Lake Michigan into the city and often crash into McCormick Place. 

"Northerly Island has become an important habitat for preventing birds from hitting McCormick Place," he said. "There used to be no place to stop, and now there is."

Read more about it at DNA Info article and "Northerly Island Reopens" by The Field Museum, Joshua Engel.

Another great organization in Chicago is Open Lands which "has helped protect more than 55,000 acres of land for public parks and forest preserves, wildlife refuges, land and water greenway corridors, urban farms, and community gardens."  Currently they are working on a green vision for some empty industrial sites along Lake Calumet.

Very inspiring!!

urban forest in Detroit

You gotta love this!

(Hauled from my archives.)

What about creating an urban forest overnight?

"This week, 150 mature trees — 20 feet high, trucked to Detroit from as far away as Buffalo, N.Y. — are being planted at Van Dyke and Goethe on vacant lots. They add heft and height to John Hantz's big idea: That reclaiming land for agriculture or trees will help restore pride and beauty to an area that's been demoralized by abandonment."

Here are two views of before (2011) and after (2015).  It'll be great to continue to monitor this urban forest!

Detroit vacant lot (before):

Detroit urban forest (after):

News Articles: 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/metro-detroit/2014/10/13/overnight-detroit-forest-years-hantz/17218305/

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/10/14/trees-hauled-detroit-jump-start-urban-forest/17238189/


Plus: read these other posts about the urban ecology opportunities for Detroit streams called daylighting (for Michigan urban waterways)!



P.S. Check out my latest "urban wild" nature blog: Wild. Here. (2016 update)

Capital Urbanism Lab - New Season of Lectures!

Mark Your Calendars:

As a follow up to the Urban Ecology lecture by the Capital Urbanism Lab, the NCC will discuss specific biophilic city topics in 2016:

The Urban Forest - Tuesday, February 16, 2016 - 06:30 pm (rescheduled)

Planning Communities Near Parks - Thursday, April 07, 2016 - 06:30 pm (cancelled)

Creating a River Culture in the Capital - Wednesday, May 04, 2016 - 06:30 pm (cancelled)

Urban Ecology Lectures (Ottawa)

This year the Friends of the Farm offered various Tree Walks in the Arboretum.  I was really thrilled to hear how popular these free tours were - with up to 100 people attending!  Some of the walks planned this year were on traditional topics including Flowering Trees, Tree Identification, Maple Tree Species and Fruit Trees while others introduced newer "urban ecology" topics such as:

BIRDS AND THE URBAN FOREST - Sunday, May 17, 2015
Tour leaders: Rachelle Lapensee and Owen Clarkin

From the website: "Birds and Trees are inextricably connected. Trees provide food and shelter to many species of birds, while birds act as agents for seed dispersal and greatly influence the relationship of trees with their insect and fungal pests. Come for a tour of the majestic trees at the Dominion Arboretum during the busy spring birding season, and learn more about Ottawa's birds, trees, and their relationships with each other."

TREE FORMS AND SHAPES IN WINTER - Sunday, November 15, 2015
Tour leaders: Owen Clarkin and Bettina Henkelman

From the website: "When the leaves fall, serious tree-watching can begin. Firstly, trees that were often obscured behind the leaves of others suddenly are visible; this is especially true of evergreens. Secondly, individual tree species tend to grow in recognizable patterns, and for deciduous trees this is best observed in winter. Techniques for how to learn tree recognition from a distance will be explained."

Image from Friends of the Farm newsletter

12 Principles to help Plan, Design, Plant and Manage an Urban Forest

Trees in the Townscape – A Guide for Decision Makers

The Tree and Design Action Group shares the collective vision that the location of trees, and all the benefits they bring, can be secured for future generations by influencing the planning, design, construction and management of our urban infrastructure and spaces. They have identified 12 action-oriented principles which can be adapted to the unique context of a town or city to provide a roadmap for trees in a 21st century context.

Found here:
https://landscapeiskingston.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/trees-in-the-townscape-a-guide-for-decision-makers/

10 Native Trees for Ottawa (by Diana Beresford-Kroeger)

List of 10 Native Trees recommended as substitutes for the Ash, Fraxinus species

by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

1. Oak, Quercus 

Q. macrocarpa is called the Bur Oak. It is a native oak, an edible species of the landscape of the City of Ottawa. This oak or the white oak, Q. alba, or the northern red oak, Q. rubra, will grow rapidly and form large canopies. These trees require immense amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide to grow. They are local trees that will reverse climate change, reduce pollution and skin cancers. They have the strength to withstand ice storms and heavy snow. They are also extremely drought resistant. 

2. Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos 

The natural form of honey locust is extremely healthy and hardy in city traffic conditions. It is almost resistant to disease infestations. It is drought resistant and it fixes its own nitrogen from the atmospheric nitrogen dioxide and from the soil. The locust will reverse climate change. The canopy of which produces a high filtered light for city gardens. The tree produces edible beans which can be ground as flour and added to other grains to make flour in various proportions. The flowers of the locust feed beneficial insects which in turn act as predators reducing the need for pesticides. The tree is also an 'Escape tree' for birds from city cats and racoons. 

3. American Basswood, Tilia americana 

This local native tree has flowers in June to July which are immensely fragrant. The lactone chemistry in the aerosols that are produced are beneficial to human health. The tree is the greatest feeding tree in the entire world for beneficial insects. Basswood honey is the best on the continent. This tree helps the bird populations to increase and produce more viable eggs in the spring which in turn reduces the need for pesticides. The Basswood leaves in its canopy combs the city air of its particulate pollution which is a leading cause of heart disease in the asthmatic. 

4. Eastern White Cedar, Thuja occidentalis 

Ottawa is blessed with native populations of an evergreen tree called the cedar Thuja occidentalis that the local native people called "The Tree of Life". There are golden, tall, weeping and fastigate forms. The trees’ leaves have glands on the tips of the leaves that can be easily seen by the naked eye. These glands in hot humid air release an aerosol medicine into the air that regulates the beating heart and is antiviral. The tree is also drought and fire resistant. It feeds birds and protects them in the winter adding 2 degrees centigrade to their body heat within the shelter of this evergreen. 

5. Black Walnut, Juglans nigra 

The walnut tree is a medicinal tree. It produces anticancer bio-chemicals both in the mature foliage and in the nuts themselves. Ottawa has a very high cancer rate. This tree would act as a shield for this, most especially for the children of the city who are most vulnerable because of their high metabolic rate when they are in growth spurts to adulthood. Pound for pound, the flesh of the walnut is equal in protein to the best black Angus t-bone steak. The tree is strong and wind resistant. It also has a wide canopy which reduces summer cooling costs. The wood of this tree is one of the most valuable in the world. A well grown Juglans nigra ‘Thomas’ in the city will pay for a grandchild's university education, quite easily. A full canopy of black walnut generates chemical aerosols which will neutralize toxic benzene from the traffic. 

6. Fir, Abies 

All of the fir are drought resistant. They will withstand heavy snow loads and ice. The conical form of anatomy of the tree helps them to stand straight, also, in high winds. The branches have a special form of buttresses built into them. These trees guard all the waterways, canals, lakes and river systems helping to purify potable water which is increasingly an issue for cities and urban areas across the world. The chemistry from the needles or leaves produces airborne aerosols that are antiseptic and antibiotic. These trees act as air cleansers and as deodorants on a massive scale. This super clean air is a health benefit to the city of Ottawa and to the surrounding area. There are two trees of choice, the Abies balsamea, known as the balsam fir, balsam, Canada balsam or the eastern fir. This tree is native to the city of Ottawa. The other is the Abies concolor known commonly as the white fir or white balsam. This is a Canadian species, the best cultivar for shape, form and drought resistance is A. c. ‘Candicans’. This tree is also a songbird shelter and escape route for predation. 

7. Spruce, Picea 

The white spruce is the workhorse of Canada. It has a long and important history on the landscape especially for Ottawa, where it grew on rocky areas overlooking the Ottawa River. It was one of the trees with long tracheids that made pulp which made paper that made money for the lumber barons. Their names can be found inscribed in Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor General. The tree is famous for its pharmaceuticals, one of which reduces blood pressure the other is anti-anginal and helps the heart itself to beat. This is a medicinal tree. It is evergreen and can withstand snow loads and strong winds. The resin of the tree helps all flying beneficial insects especially the honey bee. This tree helps to stop Honey Bee Colony Collapse. The best spruce for Ottawa is the common, native white spruce, Picea glauca. It is known as the skunk spruce. The latter is a common name given when the science of the aerosol medicine was not appreciated by the pioneers, but was used by the aboriginal medicine men for 40,000 years on this continent as a medicine. 

8. Catalpa, Catalpa speciosa 

The catalpa is the most spectacular flowering tree for the city of Ottawa. The bloom clusters are bigger than a man's head. The flowers are white and fluorescent purple. The long beans hang in tassels into the fall and winter. They are the food of the red cardinal birds who love to split open the bean and eat the seeds. This tree is suited to the calcareous soils of the city of Ottawa. The tree can be easily grown, it is disease and drought resistant. The horizontal limbs and main branches in the winter are flexible and will withstand heavy ice and snow. The blooms are like orchids and attract butterflies. The author, Diana Beresford-Kroeger would like to see these trees widely planted in the downtown area as a tourist attraction for a festival of their flowering in June to July. Such a tree allée would also help to maintain clean air as the huge leaf can comb air pollution of 2.5 micron sizes, reducing it for easy breathing. It is a North American tree. Its origins are unknown on this continent. 

9. Hickory, Carya ovata 

The Hickory trees that were cut down for the building of the city of Ottawa were Carya cordiformis. The tree is also known as the Bitternut Hickory, Bitternut, Swamp Hickory and by the farming community as Pignut. It is not known if other members of this family were present at the time. They may have been present because the aboriginal people often planted nuts. These trees would have been Carya ovata, the Shagbark Hickory, the antifamine trees. The Hickory is unique to the continent, except for China. It grew to enormous proportions here. Fingerprint boles account for circumferences of 18 feet on shallow soils. The Hickory is a feeding tree for birds, man and mammals. It is also a butterfly tree, used in a butterfly’s continental migration. This tree can be planted for a public park or a larger garden. In the last ice storm this Ottawa tree species was badly damaged. It needs to be replaced, also. 

10. Cucumber tree, Magnolia acuminate 

The Cucumber tree and all the other species of trees that are endangered in Canada could go on a long list. People who are interested in preserving the native heritage and stories of Canada should grow this magnificent Canadian tree. The tree produces a unique cucumber style fruit. From this fruit the frost opens the seed cases and dangles a red seed by a white thread. Birds love these rich seeds. The flower is like a steel grey tulip which is produced at the end of May. From this tree the aboriginal people made anti-malarial medicine. They made dugout canoes for inland travel on their water highways and they carved death masks from its sacred wood. These masks had an important ceremonial function. The cucumber tree is almost extinct. The City could help in a recovery program for its new World Heritage Site of its canal system. Then these trees could be enjoyed by everyone again. They were a waterway tree.

Found on Ecology Ottawa website (October 2013)


P.S. Check out my latest "urban wild" nature blog: Wild. Here.
(2017 update)

Propagation Project Exhibition (Windsor)

How brilliant is this?  I love the impact this has - seeing trees growing from discarded disposable drinking cups. From Broken City Labs.

TRIAGE: A PROPAGATION PROJECT BY PATRICIA COATES
Exhibition Runs September 16th – 26th 2013  (Windsor)

"Triage: A Propagation Project by Patricia Coates is an ecological intervention and a commitment to acquiring a personal knowledge of the land where she lives... During Triage, a search to acquire a personal knowledge of how the land, trees, soil, and the ecosystem as a whole function has revealed her own complicated relationship, in which good intentions and ‘saving nature’ are questioned." 

Also from the website: "The seedlings are grown from acorns gathered from Pin and Chinquapin Oaks, two Carolinian species indigenous to Essex County. The ‘pots’ were gleaned from city streets, rural roads, dumpsters and contributed to by family, friends and her own consumption. The trees will be planted on the restoration site and the Essex County landfill: enthalpy and entropy–growth and decay–playing out simultaneously." 

*Patricia Coates Image (from Broken City Lab website)

S.O.S. Ottawa Trees

Ottawa Roger's Cable company (Channel 22) has an interesting show called S.O.S. Ottawa Trees that was produced in ??. Currently there are three episodes that talk about different issues regarding our urban canopy.

From the website:

One of Ottawa's greatest assets, the trees that green our neighbourhoods, are under threat from pests, new construction and a harsh urban environment. S.O.S Ottawa Trees takes a closer look at the challenges facing our urban canopy and how you can help keep Ottawa green.

Episode 1

In Ottawa, 40 million ash trees are threatened by the Emerald Ash Borer. We take a closer look at this tiny insect and how it's changing the landscape of the National Capital Region.

Episode 2

Ottawa is a growing city, but when new homes and buildings go up, often mature trees come down. We look at infill and new construction and how to embrace change while preserving our greenspaces.

Episode 3

Planting a tree is easy, right? Get tips from the experts on how to properly plant a tree, and get inspired by our 'Tree Heroes': people who are making sure Ottawa's future is a green one.

P.S. Check out my latest "urban wild" nature blog: Wild. Here. (2016 update)

protecting trees during constrution

Great info from the University of Minnesota on protecting existing trees during construction that covers information such as:

- determining whether a tree can be saved
- how to make vertical cuts or lower the grade
- digging trenches around trees
- general rules for cutting roots (if it has to be done)
- filling or increasing current grades
- aeration and planting under a canopy
- tips for tree care before and after work

All of this information can be found in their Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series.

Image from SULIS webpage.

interesting projects by the U.S. Forest Service

Meet Erika Svensen of the U.S. Forest Service and read about a couple of her projects:

SACRED SPACE.
Recently, my colleagues and I received a grant from the TKF Foundation, a private non-profit that funds publicly accessible urban green space. The project, entitled Landscapes of Resilience: Understanding the Creation and Stewardship of Open Spaces Sacred Places, focuses on acute disasters (such as the Joplin tornado and Hurricane Sandy on the east coast) and compares these disturbances with chronic, longer term economic disruption in our communities. We are studying when, where, how and why residents use greening activities as a mechanism for resilience and restoration. You can learn more about this project here: http://civicecology.org/tkf.php for more details. 

URBAN FIELD STATION.
In addition to my current research, I am part of the New York City Urban Field Station. The field station’s mission is to improve the quality of life in urban areas by conducting and supporting research about social-ecological systems and natural resource management. It began as a partnership between the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. Here is a link to the NYC Urban Field Station site: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/nyc/ 

LIVING MEMORIALS.
One of my first research projects with the U.S. Forest Service resulted in a multi-year study to understand the meaning of community-based memorials and acts of environmental stewardship after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Living Memorials Project http://www.livingmemorialsproject.net/ documented and investigated over 700 memorials nationwide, made them accessible in an on-line national registry, and findings were synthesized in articles, presentations and multi-media exhibits. Our research examines the emergence of September 11 memorials as part of a social-ecological process of resilience and the ways in which ordinary space becomes sacred. Our partnership with artists and designers enabled us to produce an exhibit, Land-Markings: 12 Journeys through 9/11 Living Memorials at the National Park Service’s Federal Hall National Memorial on Wall Street. We were honored to receive the 2007 EDRA/Places Award for Living Memorials National Research: 9-11 and the Public Landscape.

Full bio here: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/esvendsen

Wildlife Construction Protocols (Ottawa)

From Ottawa Community News:

April 17, 2014

Board Looks at Alternative School Site (Kanata):

WILDLIFE PROTECTION

Measures were in place to mitigate the effects of tree cutting on birds and animals in the area, Wilkinson said.

Cutting can only be conducted until April 15, the councillor said, to avoid the nesting season of birds in the area.

If tree cutting didn't happen before the deadline for bird nesting season, there would be no way for the school to be built in time for kids to attend in September of 2015, Wilkinson said.

That tree-cutting deadline is needed to comply with the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act, Snedden wrote. In addition, KNL was asked to follow the tree-removal protocol followed by the city's forestry department. That procedure involves tree inspectors searching for evidence of animal use or habitat, which is shared with tree-cutting crews, who do a second inspection of flagged trees to see if animals are present. If there is an animal in the tree, the tree is not disturbed and the crew returns to remove it once the animal has moved on. Nesting boxes were placed around the area to lure animals such as squirrels out from trees.

A similar policy is being considered for the wildlife construction policy the city committed to drafting as part of an update to its wildlife management strategy last year.

City staff conducted surveys to identify areas where trees and wildlife habitats were to be retained, Snedden said. They also monitored cutting to ensure the removals complied with the urban tree conservation bylaw.

Snedden said Blanding's turtles are still hibernating at this time of year based on population monitoring data. Wilkinson said KNL Developments has a certificate from the province allowing it to go ahead with work because the area isn't part of the main habitat of the protected Blanding's turtles. If turtles are found, they must be protected and removed from the area, Wilkinson said.


Image from: Unpublished Ottawa

Glebe Trees

Somehow I came across this resource - what a find: Glebe Trees.  It helps identify the trees along each street and also provides a spring log that was created in 2009 documenting the changes in the trees from March until the end of April.  You can peruse a nice long list of all the species of trees found in the Glebe and it even has an identification key using size, flowers, leaves, bark, form and season.  Brilliant!

It also provides a link to the Environment Committee of the Glebe Community Association which was running a project to document the health of Glebe trees with the help of volunteers called "Re-TREE Our Glebe":

Tree Inventory

The project to inventory trees on City rights-of-way led by Carol MacLeod was stymied by technical data entry problems in 2010, but is hoping to continue the project in 2011. Volunteers are always needed.

Not sure if the project is still ongoing.

What about planting more native trees as per Diana Beresford-Kroeger?

from a linked in conversation: new generation of landscape architects who are trained as social workers...

Trudy Maria Tertilt

Research Urban Biodiversity - Climate Change

Singapore

Architecture & Planning

There is a simple recipe to increase biodiversity: 

* surface waterbodies and equal distribution all over the city

* many large and old trees

* fruit trees and vegetable gardens

* no use of pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides ....artificial fertilizer

* parks with native trees and shrubs (not a lollipop design)

* no artificial lighting of parks and streets at night

But these ideas are often not implemented because:

* mosquito problem (dengue, malaria..)

* no knowledge - no interest in gardening - often look chaotic in nowadays citizen eye

* do not want to get 'dirty' hands* fruit trees causing trouble when birds are too noisy and dirtying the ground

* fruit trees are attracting unwanted insects (incl. bees, wasps...)

* old trees have an extensive root system which is a problem to infrastructure

* branches might fall and kill people

My point is: People's appreciation and understanding for real nature is missing! Mind is spoilt by to many 'manicured" green spaces in advertisements and commercialization of landscape architecture.... and most important: a sense of ownership is missing for mass housing and big apartments blocks.

Therefore we need a new generation of Landscape Architects who are trained as a social worker to work with the local community. Design and construction of outdoor space is a tool to revitalize neighborhoods. 

The journey is its own reward.

National Tree Benefit Calculator

This is the wonderful tool that I used to calculate the ecological benefits of the trees at Rockcliffe Lands for my Spacing Ottawa article.  It was conceived and developed by Casey Trees and Davey Tree Expert Co and is based on  i-Tree’s street tree assessment tool called STREETS.

From the website:

The National Tree Benefit Calculator allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual street-side trees provide. With inputs of location, species and tree size, users will get an understanding of the environmental and economic value trees provide on an annual basis. The Tree Benefit Calculator is intended to be simple and accessible. As such, this tool should be considered a starting point for understanding trees’ value in the community, rather than a scientific accounting of precise values. 

While in theory this tool can only be used in U.S. you can adapt it for Southern Ontario by choosing the most northerly hardiness zone (Northeast Zone).

For more information on the benefits of urban street trees, take a look at this video from i-Tree:

Community Trees: A Living Asset

Burnham Wildlife Corridor (Chicago)

Found more on the Burnham Wildlife Corridor in Chicago.   This is the second project of the Chicago Park District, who first worked on the west shore of Lake Michigan.  They were addressing the need of about 300 species of birds migrating through the area.  This newest corridor will address the south shore creating a 2.2 mile strip (103 acres).  This "restoration" of land created by fill will be mostly with hardy oak trees which are great hosts for many species of caterpillars which will provide the resting birds with nutrients also.  Since the project was started a couple of years ago, local residents have already seen a change and have spotted "more kestrels, hawks and warblers".

Read more here: A lakefront landing strip for migrating birds

"Finding nature in a strip of land sandwiched by railroad tracks and Lake Shore Drive"
Details and Image from WBEZ article written in April 2013 by Chris Bentley

the greening of Chicago

Chicago's Mayor on Top of Green Roof - Image Source

First there was the City Hall's Rooftop Garden (in 2001) and the Green Roof Grant Program which provided grants to both big and small buildings in both the residential and commercial sectors.  By 2008, Chicago was the leading city in the U.S. with the most green roofs according to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities' Annual Green Roof Industry Survey.

Next it was the city's Nature and Wildlife Plan (in 2006) along with a Nature Areas Directory which listed more than 4,800 acres of prairies, savannas, dunes, woodlands, wetlands and potential restoration areas at 98 sites throughout the city. This plan "established a framework to protect and expand ecosystems for the benefit of wildlife and people."

As a follow-up in 2007, Chicago initiated its Green Alley Program which addressed the municipalities infrastructure issues.  The program introduced permeable pavement, bioswales and encouraged residents to consider rain gardens and purchasing rain barrels.

And then after that it was an Urban Forest Agenda in 2009 which would work hand in hand with the already established Nature and Wildlife Plan.  The goal here was to strengthen the urban tree inventory that was already in place and to enhance it with more trees, green infrastructure linking parks and creating programs to enlist local citizens to play a part in their street and park trees.

Now it's the 606 - Chicago's answer to NYC's High Line and the Burnham Wildlife Corridor along the shore of Lake Michigan. 

Present Day 606 - Image Source

First of all the 606, which will ultimately dwarf the New York City's elevated park, will be 2.7 miles long (the High Line is 1 mile) and will encompass 13 acres of land (adding five new parks).  It will connect four neighborhoods in the northwest end of the city.  One other difference to the High Line is that bicyclists will be accommodated on the 606 (or Bloomingdale Trail) whereas only pedestrians are allowed on the High Line.

For the Burnham Wildlife Corridor, located on the city's south side, the Chicago Park District enlisted thousands of volunteers to plant 125,000 trees and shrubs this summer which will provide a resting area for the 5 million birds that migrate through the city every spring and fall.  Many of them, with no place to land, found themselves colliding with the glass highrises downtown. This project will help ensure the safety of Chicago's avian visitors.

Artist Rendering of 606 - Image Source

P.S.  Check out my new "urban wild" nature blog: Wild. Here.(2016 update) It would be amazing to visit this city and profile it at some point for Wild. Here.!

Imagine! The First Biophilic Redevelopment Project in Canada!

Finally!! I have written those much promised blog posts on the Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment.  I'm only a year late!  I still have one last post to do and I hope to get it done this month and provide my comments to CLC.  I can't wait to see what this development shapes into in the upcoming years!

Posts on Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment:

First blog post: September 2011

Announcement of the project by CLC

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 1): November 2012

Description of the first public open house (October 2012) and their Green and Blue conceptual drawings.

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 2): April 2013

Consideration for heritage old growth trees, green corridors to promote ecological diversity and the surrounding landscape.

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 3): September 2013

Suggestions regarding increasing the size of Montfort Woods, Expanding options for "Blue Landscaping" and adding Native Wildscaping

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 4): October 2013

Thoughts on supporting native fauna including birds, bees, bats and other wildlife

If you still want to send your thoughts and comments to Canada Lands Company it is not too late. You can find their contact information on the Canada Lands Company Rockcliffe Lands website (syau@clc.ca,info@clc.ca). I did not find an email address for the Ottawa office however.

UPCOMING: Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 5) which will include a discussion on the potential for Biophilic Guidelines (based on Toronto Waterfront's Sustainability Guidelines) and honoring Algonquin Lands.  Stay tuned!

What Birds are in Your Neighbourhood? (Ottawa)

What the Ottawa Breeding Bird Count can tell us:

When I first looked at the OBBC presentation from 2009 to the Ottawa Field Naturalist Club I was amazed. It was an incredible wealth of information from only a couple of years of observations. This information (after five years of data) must be so much more robust! What a great organization to partner with if you ever wanted to show the importance of your patch of forest or that scrubby field that has never been developed. I was thinking that it could be an amazing tool for those who were opposed to the new provincial bridge - showing how the locations they were proposing were some of the last havens for urban birds (end of the Aviation Parkway - Kettle Island, end of Rockcliffe Parkway - Green's Creek, Petrie Island Corridor).

Let's take the Aviation Parkway - Kettle Island Corridor for an example. From the 2009 OFNC presentation it shows us that around 16 - 22 Native Bird Species have been observed there (after three years of field surveys) and of those bird species three or more are conservation priority species. This area at the end of the Aviation Parkway (where the Space and Aviation Museum and the Rockcliffe Airport are located) has a Partners in Flight Priority Score from 212 - 275 (by adding up all the individual species priority scores) which is on the high end for the City of Ottawa.  There are 10 - 13 species with declining populations in this area.  In the following maps (just ignore the blue circle around the Mer Bleu - Greenbelt area) you can see the end of the Aviation Parkway and Kettle Island (in white) - close to the North arrow.

You'll see below the abundance of specific bird species - all at least present in or around the Aviation Parkway and along the Rockcliffe Parkway in that area.  While they are not high (compared to areas around the Greenbelt and suburban areas) they are still observed and their presence inside the urban core (within the Greenbelt) is a wonderful urban asset for those who cannot travel easily to the outskirts or Conservation Areas and Parks in more rural areas.

There have also been some observations of grassland birds (Savannah Sparrows), over five species of open-shrub birds (including the Northern Cardinal, along with the SOSP and AMGO shown above) and a few forest species (including American Redstarts) that visit the Manor Park area and the forest strip between the Rockcliffe Parkway and the Ottawa River (just east of the Space and Aviation Museum). 

You'll also see that the Green's Creek corridor (which is part of the eastern Greenbelt) has a high number of bird species.  Petrie Island does not have elevated numbers of birds and it would be interesting to find out more about this area and the data collected.  As you can see this information could help inform development projects like the Interprovincial Bridge location and or other development proposals including larger scale ones like Lebreton Flats.  It would be interesting to see what five years of data could provide in terms of observations.  Speaking about large-scale development proposals - it might be a great study if data could be collected from before, during and after the new Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment occurs!  And perhaps the OBBC data could be linked up with the City of Ottawa's Urban Natural Features Strategy to show how even small green spaces and corridors are providing habitat for birds?  I wonder what has been found out about Pleasant Park Woods or the NRC forest in Rothwell Heights? 

So if you are curious - take a look at the 2009 presentation and new data as it comes in from the Ottawa Breeding Bird Count.  Perhaps you may even want to volunteer with them when they start up again next spring?  Ottawa is going to learn a lot about its native population of birds thanks to the data collected through this project!

NYC Street Tree Inventory (New York City)

We learned about this project, which was done in 2005-2006 in class. To do this tree census almost 1000 volunteers, logging over 30,000 volunteer hours over 2 summers inventoried 592,130 trees.  They were given 3 hour orientation training and field guides to help and then city field staff were available for follow up by  responding through telephone hotlines and e-mails to address questions.

Staff would verify inconsistencies in the field after the forms were returned and reviewed.  They used paper since at the time of inventory they were the best method of collecting data despite the time required in office to transfer the data. The implementation of software was not yet at a point where it could be used effectively so data collection via paper and pencil was used and later transferred in an office

Today there is an app for that!

The tree id app, www.leafsnap.com was first developed in New York City as a means for tourists and interested residents to walk up to any New York City Street Tree, enter the GPS co-ordinates or ID tag into a smart phone and the information about the tree could be accessed

The response for a tree ID phone app was so high, Leafsnap was born!

 It currently contains an ID database of New York City, Washington DC and a partial list of all trees in Northeastern America, in process of completion

Information from: http://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/tree-census/2005-2006

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 3)

How can the Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment site become the FIRST BIOPHILIC REDEVELOPMENT in CANADA??  This is the second part in a series of how best to redevelop Rockcliffe Lands to create a ecologically sound development that considers the flora and fauna surrounding and within it.

BLUE LANDSCAPING

The proposed blue landscaping sounds wonderful: small rain gardens, recharging water table through naturalized low-lying areas, storm water both on and off site, etc.  These ideas need to be kept on the proposal at all costs, no matter how tough the priority setting is.  By managing water in the most natural way and working with the landscaping this will allow savings and avert potential crisis in the future.  Imagine having bioswales between houses along some of the higher elevated lands?  A natural feature like this would be a boon to housing values.  In the Lashley + Associates example this equates to just a three metre easement between the houses. 

One possibility that hasn't been proposed is the opportunity to build Ottawa's first constructed wetland for sewage.  I was on a campus in Lindsay Ontario for two years that housed its own constructed wetland and there were none of the issues that you may associate with a sewage facility including odours, insects and/or overflows.  It could be well designed like this bioretention facility in Portland or this constructed wetland in Washington D.C..  With an internationally recognized research institute (the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment) only three hours away from Ottawa, it would be a waste to lose an opportunity like this to test urban applications of these wetlands.  And a wetland like this would help ensure that this property becomes a truly biophilic development.

INCREASE THE SIZE OF MONTFORT WOODS

In the last post I discussed some opportunities in terms of wood lots on the site (and adjacent to the site) but I would like to propose more in this post.  I've mentioned before the benefits of having a 10-hectare wood lot and that Ottawa needs to protect what they have and consider more.  There is a great opportunity here to create a larger forest that combines the Montfort Woods with some of the south-west corner of the Rockcliffe Lands.  Presently Montfort Woods is only 9 acres (3.5 hectares) which could easily be expanded into the new development to create a 10 hectare plot.  This would equate to only 5% of the Rockcliffe Lands - perhaps it could be designed to accommodate this - a bit denser housing and more green space left intact?

Yes these N.C.C. woods presently are not that ecologically sound with periwinkle invading in many corners but these woods are worth saving.  The Montfort Woods was declared an environmentally sensitive area in 2004, which ensures that this property will not be developed.  The Rockcliffe Lands redevelopment project has already proposed some buffering around this woods so that there isn't an abrubpt change from woods to backyard lawns.  This type of transition zone, such as a shrub border, would help safeguard its ecological integrity.  Once the development has been built and there are local citizens who can get involved, the neighborhood could consider public education regarding these non-native forest flora invaders and "No Dumping Garden Waste" signs along the border of the woods.  Rockcliffe Lands could even partner with the N.C.C. to run a program like Edmonton's Master Naturalists to help protect the local  wood lots and the surrounding corridors.

NATIVE PLANTS AND WILDSCAPING

Another great consideration that has been proposed is keeping as much of the natural elevation as possible.  This land sits above the Ottawa River with some great viewsheds and some rock outcroppings and it is a wonderful idea to recognize the landscape and terrain as a important feature to retain.  The best way to recognize and work with these natural features is to landscape them or wildscape them as naturally as possible using native plants.  Xeriscaping (designing a garden with plants that are drought-tolerant) would be an ideal way of having municipal landscaping that was low-maintenance.  Some areas could be naturalized and left unmowed to provide natural habitat for various fauna including bees and birds.  Some hedge borders in less accessible areas and around the north and western edges of the redevelopment would also provide habitat and/or food (such as berries) and wildlife corridors that would link various green spaces.

All in all, what has already been proposed is a great start and those behind the plan have a keen eye for the natural assets that the Rockcliffe Lands have to offer.  Let's hope that they continue to see the benefits and that the community backs them up!


If you still want to send your thoughts and comments to Canada Lands Company it is not too late. You can find their contact information on the Canada Lands Company Rockcliffe Lands website (syau@clc.ca, info@clc.ca). I did not find an email address for the Ottawa office however.


NEXT UP: BIRDS AND BEES AND OTHER BENEFICIAL NEIGHBOURS! 
Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 4) - October 2013

All details about this Redevelopment Project can be found here: http://www.clcrockcliffe.ca/

Posts on Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment:

First blog post: September 2011

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 1): November 2012

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 2): April 2013

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 4): October 2013

Rockcliffe Lands Redevelopment (Part 5): November 2013