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Urban Planting

Introduction

How can we work with trees in our urban plantings?

  • Traditional pattern is  as an art-form: Clear everything and start over as a clean slate. Widely spaced trees with grass in-between them.
  • Can we incorporate and manage what's there?
  • Arboriculture affects the structural components of an ecosystem

 

Lecture 3 focuses on:

  • Plants and the environment
  • Genotype and cultivars
  • Plant nomenclature

Plants and the environment

Trees can't flee from danger; they're rooted!

  • Adapted techniques to deal with this: shedding leaves, etc.
  • IMPORTANT: The plant environment supports plants
    • genotype X environment = phenotype
      • Artists often treat plants like "widgets" (static, mechanical objects)
    • Growth of the current year is affected by that of previous years (bud set).
  • The plant and its environment are part of a larger system that performs ecosystem processes

Genotype and cultivars

Genotype X environment = phenotype

Genotype: What are the genetics of your tree?

  • Monoculture bad: taught many times; most recently through the fall of nearly all American elms.

Understanding the cultivar:

  • Cultivated variety
  • Must be propagated
    • Nearly all have very similar if not identical genetic material
    • Some families, such as oaks, are very difficult to vegetatively propagate 

 

Nyssa sylvatica 'David Odom' Afterburner® Tupelo Genus Species Cultivar Patent / Trademark

Do cultivars reduce genetic diversity? 

  • Directly: Yes
  • Indirectly: No! Genetic diversity might even increase because more species can be planted

Plant Nomenclature

When we need to speak specifically about a plant, scientific name should always be used.

  • especially when specifying species in contracts, schedules, plans.

No single authority over scientific names. Different organizations might accept a different authority. UBC accepts the names defined by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Various databases available:

  • Royal horticultural society
  • Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (CBIF)
  • etc.

Review: Plant processes & terms to know

  • Transpiration
  • Photosynthesis
  • Respiration
  • Transpiration cooling
  • Evapotranspiration