A New Soil Series Called “Ask Tom”

“Ask Tom”

A new series by Denbow

At Denbow, we know how important soil is.  Some people might suggest that soil is just dirt but we’ve learned that soil is incredibly complex while the success of any environmental infrastructure depends heavily upon it. Soil is the most important variable of any growing medium, whether farm, garden or landscape. In our new series, “Ask Tom,  we are going to take a careful look at soil. Iron_rich_soil_in_hand

“Ask Tom” will be an interview series with Tom McConkey, a local soil and landscape specialist who has over 25 years of landscape and soil analysis under the mentorship of Dr. Bill Herman. Throughout the series, Tom will share his knowledge and experience about soil and help break down the different aspects of soil and the importance for both professionals and laymen.

We’ll ask Tom what he believes is the single most important aspect of soil.  With Tom’s help we’ll look at the quality of soil here in the lower mainland of BC. We live in a river delta, so should our soil be good everywhere? (Here’s a hint – it’s not and we’ll let you know why.)  

dirt-ball-in-handTom says, “Dirt is the stuff underneath your fingernails, whereas soil is an engineered composition of organic matter (sand, clay and organic matter) designed specifically for your project’s grow medium and geographic location.” As we dive into the different topics, please feel free to ask your questions in the comments or via email/web form. We would love to interact with you once we get things rolling. We want this series to be helpful to those in our geographic region.

Thanks for checking in!  We are looking forward to having conversations with Tom and understanding in more depth value of soil as it relates to sustainable development and the environment through urban development. We hope to cover a lot of ground…  

 

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Celebrating a Legendary Landscape Architect

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander: Recipient of CSLA’s Highest Honour Here at Denbow, we are inspired by exceptional landscape architects, particularly those doing high-quality, innovative work here in Canada. As such, we were excited to hear that Cornelia Hahn Oberlander was recently awarded the Governor General’s Medal by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA).   In […]

Nature is Green Infrastructure

Nature is Green Infrastructure

Nature and infrastructure are not independent of each other; on the contrary, nature is infrastructure. From protecting communities from flooding and excessive heat to improving air and water quality, nature is not only a critically important element of infrastructure but also a vital part of human and environmental health. When nature is used as an infrastructural system, it’s referred to as green infrastructure.  images

Green infrastructure can be a highlight of regional and metropolitan planning, helping ensure communities have a safe, livable environment with clean air and water that lasts for generations. Although green infrastructure is often associated with green storm water management systems, it can be used to address a wide range of systems at a variety of scales.

Green systems can be used for wildlife, which are increasingly threatened by human encroachment and climate change. For example, corridors or greenways allow animals to move through human communities; these have the added benefit of being a beautiful space that people want to live near.

Park systems, urban forests, and constructed wetlands also serve as green infrastructure. Constructed wetlands help communities manage water locally and provide habitats for wildlife.

Moreover, green infrastructure practices at the site-scale are used by smart communities for transportation systems (such as green streets) and green roofs, weaving nature into the built environment.

Research shows us that green infrastructure works. Compared to grey infrastructure, green systems are more cost-effective and far more beneficial to people and the environment.  

 

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VIDEO: Blowing soil for multi-storey planters

Buildex Vancouver 2017