Ecological Landscape Management

By James Sottilo

ORGANIC URBAN SPACES #5

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

TableofContents

IntroductionIt’s been a rewarding adventure to be a part of the evolution of the urban spaces mentioned in this book. I have enjoyed watch-ing 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 build-ings, 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 contrac-tors. Many of these people I have become friends with and I tip my hat for their amazing creativity and things they all do in help-ing 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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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 green-way 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 pos-sibility, 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.

CentralWharf

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LincolnCenter

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 pro-tective 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 propor-tioned 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.

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 land-mark.7

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 fund-raisers, 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 exclusive-ly 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 mu-seum 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 her-culean 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 an-nually. 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 preda-tor 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.

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BrooklynBridgePark

Brooklyn Bridge Park is a multi-acre waterfront park built on the old ship-ping 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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ReferencesVisit 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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