Single Most Important Aspect Of Soil – Ask Tom series

An interview with Tom on soil

We decided to ask Tom the question, “What the single most important aspect of soil?”

We were surprised by his response.

Denbow: Ok Tom, what is the single most important aspect of soil?

Tom: Ah that’s a simple question!

Denbow: Really? Tell us more.

Tom:  Of course. Now my first response was a little tongue-in-cheek. You see, there isn’t a single most important aspect of soil.  Soil is so much more dynamic than most people understand.  As I will hopefully help illuminate in this series, soil has multiple components, which can be engineered to best support what needs to grow.  These components are sand, silt, and clay, together with organic matter.  The proportions may vary, as does the PH level.  So, in fact, your question is not simple at all. A better question might be “What is the best soil composition to support what needs to grow?”

The soil is the grow medium for what needs to grow. When sourcing soil for your project, it is important to ask the right questions. In what geographic region is the soil being used? What kinds of natural environments surround the soil? What are you planting in the soil? What is the slope of the land? There are literally hundreds of questions you could ask when considering what type of soil to use on your specific project.

I could also argue that the single most important aspect of soil is having standardized soil regulations that govern soil usage.

It’s ironic that when constructing a building there are stringent rules regarding the building code, yet when it comes external landscape components of the building, there are mixed standards and styles. However, when you consider the impact of the landscape and the potential the external part of the building has on the environment, as well as any surrounding water sources, you start to see that the exterior of a building is just as important the interior.

Soil manufacturers are not equal and soils are not equal. Many different components like yard waste, compost, and, in some situations even bio-waste, can potentially contain metallic elements in the soil. This is why we need to educate the public as well as lobby for more consistent and informative guidelines for the uses of soil.

So, in constructing a building you have some clear guidelines. Attempting to create similar standards for soil has been challenging to say the least. Over the last 20 years it’s been difficult because we haven’t passed along the right information.

I can explain this way, Tom says. Soil in British Columbia and the regulations of soils in British Columbia has been like a telephone game (you know, the game you played as a kid). One person starts the conversation, whispering in the next person’s ear. “Soil needs to have these three components,” they say. The next person passes it on: “There are three things we should discuss when it comes to soil”. The next person says, “There are three important ways to install soil”. This continues until the last person says, “Soil is great for growing.” Yes, this is true but it has very little—if any—of the information that is actually useful for soil regulations.

Conversations managed this way can get lost in translation. And that’s what’s happening with BC soil. We have several people trying to establish rules regarding the soil views in different cities and municipalities around the lower mainland of BC. Although these rules are somewhat informative, they also need to be consistent and useful, and therefore easily followed.

So, to sum it all up (and sorry for the tangent at the end!), there is no single aspect of soil that is most important. Soil is a dynamic grow medium that needs to be properly engineered to meet the requirements of each specific project. From there we need to have a governing body helping define and classify the different soils we use so the project manager, landscape architect or informed home owner can make the right soil decision.

Soil Series – Who is this Tom?

Soil Series – Who is this Tom? segment #2023

“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 media and geographic location.”

– Tom McConkey

So who is this Tom McConkey?

Before we start talking about “soil”, we want to introduce our specialist.  Denbow is pleased to be offering this series of interviews with one of our valued partners,  Tom McConkey.  Tom is highly skilled in landscape and our local soil and has been in the field for over two decades.  Some of his specialty areas include Green Roofs, Urban Agriculture, Bio-Swales, Storm Water Management, Sustainable Turf Grass Practices.

Tom attended Carelton University and earned a degree to become an English teacher but as fate would have it, Tom decided to take a position at a local landscape company instead.

Early on there he got involved in the company’s compost practices. Tom became very interested in not only selling the compost, but understanding the composting process.

At the time, composting  was a new aspect of the landscape industry so Tom was given the freedom to get to really “dig in,” so to speak.  

During his early years, Tom was able cultivate his knowledge and skills while being mentored by Dr. Bill Herman of Pacific Soil Analysis.  Dr. Herman is a soil specialist who instructed Tom in both the composting process and more importantly, the beneficial use of organic matter as it pertains to the British Columbia Lower Mainland network.  

Denbow hopes this interview series with expert, Tom McConkey serves Landscape architects, city managers and landscapers as well as the average joe gardener in understanding the complexity of engineered soil and how it can assist their projects.  

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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Structural Soil: An Innovative Medium Under Pavement

Structural Soil An Innovative Medium Under Pavement

Have you ever wondered how on earth trees grow in little square planters alongside roadways and sidewalks?

Unless you are one of the few in the know, you probably have. An education on structural soil help will help explain how growing trees below pavement is possible and how it provides urban areas opportunity to enhance the green space within city limits.

structural soil treesHere’s a great article from Cornell University that helps highlight the composition and uses of structural soil. There is a ton of valuable and informative information here, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Read the full article here.

Introduction

The major impediment to establishing trees in paved urban areas is the lack of an adequate volume of soil for tree root growth. Soils under pavements are highly compacted to meet load-bearing requirements and engineering standards. This often stops roots from growing, causing them to be contained within a very small useable volume of soil without adequate water, nutrients or oxygen. Subsequently, urban trees with most of their roots under pavement grow poorly and die prematurely. It is estimated that an urban tree in this type of setting lives for an average of only 7-10 years, where we could expect 50 or more years with better soil conditions. Those trees that do survive within such pavement designs often interfere with pavement integrity. Older established trees may cause pavement failure when roots grow directly below the pavement and expand with age. Displacement of pavement can create a tripping hazard. As a result, the potential for legal liability compounds expenses associated with pavement structural repairs. Moreover, pavement repairs which can significantly damage tree roots often result in tree decline and death.

The problems as outlined above do not necessarily lie with the tree installation but with the material below the pavement in which the tree is expected to grow. New techniques for meeting the often opposing needs of the tree and engineering standards are needed. One new tool for urban tree establishment is the redesign of the entire pavement profile to meet the load-bearing requirement for structurally sound pavement installation while encouraging deep root growth away from the pavement surface. The new pavement substrate, called ‘structural soil’, has been developed and tested so that it can be compacted to meet engineering requirements for paved surfaces, yet possess qualities that allow roots to grow freely, under and away from the pavement, thereby reducing sidewalk heaving from tree roots.

Convential Tree Pits are Designed for Failure Looking at a typical street tree pit detail, it is evident that it disrupts the layered pavement system. In a sidewalk pavement profile, a properly compacted subgrade of existing material often is largely impermeable to root growth and water infiltration and significantly reduces drainage if large percentages of sand are not present. Above the subgrade there is usually a structural granular base material. To maintain a stable pavement surface the base material is well compacted and possesses high bearing strength. This is why a gravel or sand material containing little silt or clay is usually specified and compacted to 95% Proctor density (AASHTO T-99). The base layer is granular material with no appreciable plant available moisture or nutrient holding capacity. Subsequently, the pavement surrounding the tree pit is designed to repel or move water away, not hold it, since water just below the pavement can cause pavement failure. Acknowledging that; the above generalizations do not account for all of the challenges below the pavement for trees, it is no mystery why trees are often doomed to failure before they are even planted.images

The subgrade and granular base course materials are usually compacted to levels associated with root impedance. Given the poor drainage below the base course, the tree often experiences a largely saturated planting soil. Designed tree pit drainage can relieve soil saturation, but does nothing to relieve the physical impedance of the material below the pavement which physically stops root growth.

A New System to Integrate Trees and Pavement

Structural soil’ is a designed medium which can meet or exceed pavement design and installation requirements while remaining root penetrable and supportive of tree growth. Cornell’s Urban Horticulture Institute, has been testing a series of materials over the past five years focused on characterizing their engineering as well as horticultural properties. The materials tested are gap-graded gravels which are made up of crushed stone, clay loam, and a hydrogel stabilizing agent. The materials can be compacted to meet all relevant pavement design requirements yet allow for sustainable root growth. The new system essentially forms a rigid, load-bearing stone lattice and partially fills the lattice voids with soil (Figure 1). Structural soil provides a continuous base course under pavements while providing a material for tree root growth. This shifts designing away from individual tree pits to an integrated, root penetrable, high strength pavement system.

treefig1
This system consists of a four to six inch rigid pavement surface, with a pavement opening large enough to accommodate a forty year or older tree (Figure 2) .

treefig2
The opening could also consist of concentric rings of interlocking pavers designed for removal as the buttress roots meet them. Below that, a conventional base course could be installed and compacted with the material meeting normal regional pavement specifications for the traffic they are expected to experience. The base course would act as a root exclusion zone from the pavement surface. Although field tests show that tree roots naturally tend to grow away from the pavement surface in structural soil. A geotextile could segregate the base course of the pavement from the structural soil. The gap-graded, structural soil material has been shown to allow root penetration when compacted. This material would be compacted to not less than 95% Proctor density (AASHTO T-99) and possess a California Bearing Ratio greater than 40 [Grabosky and Bassuk 1995,1996]. The structural soil thickness would depend on the designed depth to subgrade or to a preferred depth of 36 inches. This depth of excavation is negotiable, but a 24 inch minimum is encouraged for the rooting zone. The subgrade should be excavated to parallel the finished grade. Under-drainage conforming to approved engineering standards for a given region must be provided beneath the structural soil material.

code-walk---streetscapeThe structural soil material is designed as follows. The three components of the structural soil are mixed in the following proportions by weight, crushed stone: 100; clay loam: 20; hydrogel: 0.03. Total moisture at mixing should be 10% (AASHTO T-99 optimum moisture).

Crushed stone (granite or limestone) should be narrowly graded from 3/4 -1 1/2 inch, highly angular with no fines. The clay loam should conform to the USDA soil classification system (gravel <5%, sand 25-30%, silt 20-40%, clay 25-40%). Organic matter should range between 2% and 5%. The hydrogel, a potassium propenoate-propenamide copolymer is added in a small amount to act as a tackifier, preventing separation of the stone and soil during mixing and installation. Mixing can be done on a paved surface using front end loaders. Typically the stone is spread in a layer, the dry hydrogel is spread evenly on top and the screened moist loam is the top layer. The entire pile is turned and mixed until a uniform blend is produced. The structural soil is then installed and compacted in 6 inch lifts.

In a street tree installation of such a structural soil, the potential rooting zone could extend from building face to curb, running the entire length of the street. This would ensure an adequate volume of soil to meet the long term needs of the tree. Where this entire excavation is not feasible, a trench, running continuous and parallel to the curb, eight feet wide and three feet deep would be minimally adequate for continuous street tree planting.

There will be a need to ensure moisture recharge and free gas exchange throughout the root zone. The challenge may be met by the installation of a three dimensional geo-composite (a geo-grid wrapped in textile one inch thick by eight inches wide) which could be laid above the structural soil as spokes radiating from the trunk flair opening. This is currently in the testing stage. Other pervious surface treatments could also provide additional moisture recharge, as could traditional irrigation.

When compared to existing practice, additional drainage systems, and the redesigned structural soil layer represent additional costs to a project. The addition of the proposed structural soil necessitates deeper excavation of the site which also may be costly. In some regions this excavation is a matter of standard practice. However, this process might best be suited for new construction and infrastructure replacement or repair, since the cost of deep excavation is already incurred.

The Urban Horticulture Institute continues to work on refining the specification for producing a structural soil material to make the system cost effective. It is patent pending and will be sold with the trademark ‘CU-Soil’ to insure quality control. Testing over five years has demonstrated that stabilized, gap-graded structural soil materials can meet this need while allowing rapid root penetration. Several working installations have been completed in lthaca, NY, New York City, NY, Cincinnati, OH, Cambridge, MA and elsewhere. To date, the focus has been on the use of these mixes to greatly expand the potential rooting volume under pavement. It appears that an added advantage of using a structural soil is its ability to allow roots to grow away from the pavement surface, thus reducing the potential for sidewalk heaving as well as providing for healthier, long-lived trees.

by
Nina Bassuk, Director and Professor Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University, lthaca, NY
Jason Grabosky, Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University, lthaca, NY
Peter Trowbridge, FASLA, Professor Landscape Architecture, Cornell University, lthaca, NY
James Urban, FASLA, James Urban and Associates, Annapolis, MD

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Where is Structural Soil Used?


Where is Structural Soil Used?

structure-zone-11After some experience with gardening and landscaping, you will find that in some cases, standard soil just won’t do. You may need to provide a better, more solid base for large plants such as trees and bushes to grow successfully. This is where knowing about structural soil will help.

Structural soil contains larger solid particles and provides more structure that normal soil. These added solid particles create a firm structural base while allowing plant and tree roots to weave around the soil pockets. Structural soil is comprised of a mixture of gap-graded gravels, which are typically made from crushed stone, a hydrogen stabilizing agent and clay loam. This type of soil is perfect when planning to plant trees, especially beside pavement sidewalks or roadways.

 

 

Changing Landscaping

Can you picture walking on a beautifully, manicured concrete walkway? Most likely you picture a tree beside this walkway that helps to shape this beautiful image. Structural engineers more often than not will focus on the construction of the concrete walkway or the surrounding road, neglecting the need for a green environment. For this reason, landscape designers are quite important, as they know to choose the right soil for the right result.

By working together with structural engineers, landscape designers are able to successfully grow trees in paved areas. This is normally a challenge due to inadequate soil volume, which is a major requirement for root growth. Soils found under the pavement are usually very compacted, which is the reason why they are unable to support root growth. Only a few trees grow under pavement and when they do, they grow very poorly, dying eventually. It is also worth noting that with the wrong soil the pavement ends up being affected by the root growth. That is why there is need for use of structural soil.structure zone 1

Best Places for Structural Soil

Structural soil has become the best solution for tree-growing in urban settings. This type of soil has been proven to improve tree growth in paved areas, therefore it is the best way to promote street tree planting. Structural soil is used to provide a solid base, which is meant to support masses and at the same time allow for the growth of roots. The result is a perfect crack-free pavement, with a healthy tree growing as expected.

Not all structural soils are the same. They come in different specifications, which are suited for various weather conditions. All the elements that make up structural soil are mixed together. The mix retains a void to allow for water and air movement and gives room for root growth. When used properly, structural soil can allow deep penetration of roots so as to avoid surface heating, which often affects growing trees. Encouraging deep penetration of roots is also good to allow the roots to find sufficient water, necessary for tree growth. This is a great benefit since trees whose roots grow deeply are less likely to lift and crack pavements, leaving you with a great looking pavement and an amazing green environment.

code-walk---streetscapeBoth structural engineers and landscapers benefit from the use of structural oil. Engineers appreciate a firm foundation for the pavement and landscapers realize trees with sufficient root volume, air and water for growing trees. Structural soil is becoming more recognized in urban settings as it provides an excellent solution for the people within these areas. It satisfies the need to enjoy good roads and a perfect environment at the same time. It is a lasting solution for both structural engineers and landscapers.

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Perspective on Soil

“What you see depends on how you view the world. To most people this is just dirt. To a farmer it’s potential.”  Doe Zantamata