Boston Flora

Tag: Ecological Landscape Alliance

  • Wednesday, March 9, 6:00 pm – Ulmus Americana: Saving an American Icon, Online

    In 1909, while collecting Leopard Moth larva from elm trees in the college yard at Harvard University, Dr. James W. Chapman discovered small grubs and adult beetles under the bark. With the aid of Dr. A.D. Hopkins, the first identification of the smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus was confirmed in Massachusetts. S. multistriatus is the primary vector of Dutch Elm Disease (DED). DED is a fungus that invades the vascular system of a tree and has killed millions of American elm trees in the United States. With the support of the Friends of the Public Garden and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Normand and Christine Helie have been monitoring and caring for the elm trees in the downtown Boston Parks since 2012. Their research on the smaller European elm bark beetle picks up where Dr. Chapman left off. Sharing their insights on the relationship of the beetle with the young and historic elm trees in the parks, they hope to inspire us to bring the native American elm back to our landscapes.

    For over 27 years, Normand and Christine Helie, of The Growing Tree, have worked together promoting conservation landscaping and tree preservation.

    In 2012 they began monitoring and caring for the elm trees in the Boston Parks, where Dutch elm disease continues to be a major threat to both young and mature elm trees. Combining their knowledge in the applied sciences of plants, soils and entomology, they now have a better understanding of the host, its vector and the pathogen. With their development of an alternative preservation program for elm trees in Boston, some of which have historic significance, they are hopeful for the conservation of this tree species.

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance will present a webinar with the Helies on March 9 at 6 pm. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org.

  • Wednesday, February 9, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Regenerating Suburbia One Garden at a Time, Online

    Landscape design professionals can play a key role in regenerating our monocultural suburban landscapes. Understanding why this work is so vitally important and how we can create beautiful (even luxuriant) landscapes that capture carbon, create habitat in support of our native pollinators, and contribute to the cooling of the earth’s atmosphere.

    Nadia Malarkey will share the philosophy that drives her work in the regeneration of landscapes, showing images from her own commissioned residential projects. These examples illustrate the use of a spatial design aesthetic for viable bio-diverse functional landscapes.

    Ms. Malarkey’s gardens have inspired her clients with a deeper sense of environmental stewardship as well as drawn their friends and neighbors to the native plant aesthetic. This webinar, sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance, takes place February 9 at 1 pm, and is free to ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

  • Thursday, January 27, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm – Recording the Garden, Online

    Long-term gardening is easier when there’s a sense of continuity. Individual gardeners and community gardening teams can greatly benefit from recordkeeping to maintain consistency and direction over time. In this Native Plant Trust webinar on January 27 from 12:30 – 2, we discuss strategies to track what is planted in the garden and where, where plants came from, how well plantings survive over time, which gardening practices work best for a given location, and basic phenology concepts to help track the timing of plants’ life history events. Participants will also learn how to use garden records to track gardening experiments whose results can help inform future decisions about planting and maintenance. Led by Melanie Kenney, the program is cosponsored with the Ecological Landscape Alliance and is $18 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $23 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/recording-garden/

  • Wednesday, January 26, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Engaging Landowners in Sustainable Stewardship, Online

    The decisions that private owners of woodlands and other natural areas make in the coming decade will play a large role in determining the sustainability of not only our New England landscape but across the country as well.

    How can we reach and motivate this audience to take specific actions that will benefit not only their own lands, but the larger landscape and community? This Ecological Landscape Alliance online presentation on January 26 at noon will share experiences and lessons from a multi-year landowner outreach project in the MassConn Woods, a rural, largely forested region on the border of central Massachusetts and northeastern Connecticut, as well as region-wide efforts to unite rural and urban communities in implementing natural solutions to climate change. We’ll discuss tools and resources for promoting climate change resilience and developing communications to motivate stakeholders across the country to take action in order to care for the places they love.

    Presenter Lisa Hayden  is the Outreach Manager for New England Forestry Foundation, where she works with steward volunteers and leads an outreach program in the MassConn Woods of south central Massachusetts and northeastern Connecticut. Collaborating with numerous partners, her recent grant-funded work focuses on creating and implementing communications tools about climate-informed forestry for land trusts and conservation partnerships. With a Journalism degree from the University of Connecticut and an MA in Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University, Lisa brings experience from The Nature Conservancy developing strategic messaging and blogging about how climate change affects people’s lives. A former journalist covering politics and environment in Connecticut and California, and a woodland owner herself, she is excited to be supporting land owners in her home area.

    Free to ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org.

  • Wednesday, January 19, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Forest Ecosystems and the Winds of Change: Forests as a Cog in the Earth’s Climate System, Online

    That weather and climate have a major influence on forests is a familiar concept to most of us. But forests also influence climate in ways that aren’t always appreciated and are still being discovered. This applies to local as well as global processes and extends from the early evolution of trees to the current era of rapid, human-induced change.

    This Ecological Landscape Alliance January 19 noontime presentation will explore the fascinating role of forests as a key part of the climate system, and how researchers are still unraveling their mysteries using tools ranging from state-of-the-art satellite sensors to old-fashioned walks in the woods.

    Dr. Scott Ollinger is a professor of ecosystem ecology and director of the Earth Systems Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. His research focuses on carbon, nutrient and water cycles in forests and how factors such as biodiversity and land use change affect feedbacks between forests and climate. Dr. Ollinger has been principal investigator on a number of NASA and National Science Foundation research projects and he has served on a variety of state and national science advisory boards. He was the first Director of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and is presently a member of NASA’s North American Carbon Program. At UNH, Dr. Ollinger enthusiastically teaches courses in ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry.

    Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

  • Wednesday, February 23 & Thursday, February 24, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – ELA Virtual 28th Conference & Marketplace – SAVE THE DATES

    Join Ecological Landscape Alliance on February 23 & 24, 2022 for the 28th Conference & Eco-Marketplace – all online.  We’ll energize your practice and prepare you for spring with two full days of research and field-tested expertise, as well as innovative case studies on a wide range of topics.

    In our online conference space, you can pick and choose from presentations in multiple tracks. Move easily from presentation to presentation with a couple of clicks, and if you miss a presentation, you’ll have access to recordings after the conference.

    The conference platform also lets you connect with exhibitors in their own conference spaces and network with colleagues and friends in rooms designated for that purpose. A short initial orientation and continuously available technical assistance help support a positive conference experience.

    For complete details visit https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-virtual-28th-conference-eco-marketplace/

  • Wednesdays, December 1 and December 15, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Advanced Ecological Design Workshop with Larry Weaner

    Demand for high performing, ecology-based landscapes is increasing faster than the availability of the specialized knowledge needed for practitioners to achieve them. This intensive course will be comprised of two sessions that are three hours each. This design workshop will provide concrete, real-world guidance for selecting and arranging native plants in the landscape (gardens and restoration projects), as well as provide attendees with the opportunity to employ these techniques through an assignment between the first and second sessions.

    Participants will receive login-protected access to an extensive digital manual that documents all aspects of the program, including plant selection criteria, plant recommendations, ecological process-based management specifications, and guidance for maximizing the aesthetic and experiential appeal these landscapes can provide.

    This program is geared toward landscape professionals, including but not limited to landscape designers, landscape architects, and horticulturists.

    COURSE GOALS:
    By the end of the course, participants should be able to:

    1. Examine and translate into design the ecological patterns of native plant communities.
    2. Understand the ecological processes that are relevant to native landscape design including, but not limited to, ecological processes such as disturbance, succession, and competition, and plant proliferation strategies.
    3. Understand how to arrange and select native plants to foster ecology-based landscapes that are aesthetically embraced by clients in a variety of landscape settings including gardens and restoration projects.

    COURSE SCHEDULE:
    Note: Each session will have 3 session hours plus two 15-minute breaks. $190. For complete information visit www.ecolandscaping.org.

  • Thursday, November 11, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – Regenerative Solutions for Resilient Landscapes, Online

    Connections are vital throughout healthy landscapes and include everything from interaction between pollinator and plant to the underground networking of mycelium.

    The degree to which a landscape is successfully connected determines soil health, biodiversity, local adaptation, colonization, and species survival prospects. All connections are further challenged as ecosystems cope with climate change.

    Join The Ecological Landscape Alliance online on November 11 from 8:30 – 4:30 for this unique opportunity to consider future landscapes and learn the importance of regenerative solutions. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/regenerative-and-resilient/

    Roy Diblik with speak on Building Strong Foundations.

    Gorgeous perennial gardens packed with color, texture, and multi-season interest (think of stunning examples like the Lurie Garden) may be aspirational but are also achievable with some plant community know-how from award-winning plantsman and designer Roy Diblik.

    Roy’s design approach begins by learning a core group of plants, and all of the characteristics of the plants, that are reliable performers, tolerant of varied initial soil conditions. The next steps are combining them with complementary plants that thrive together when grown as a community. Roy also emphasizes a design approach that minimizes garden maintenance. One reliable species is Carex used as a groundcover to reduce reliance on wood mulch, create a healthier habitat for woody plants, create interconnected plant communities that benefit the well-being

    Then, Jane Slade will present Reconnecting with Natural Light Cycles that Support Human and Wildlife Health: Starving for Darkness

    Darkness is disappearing from the face of the Earth, blinding wildlife in the light. Since the industrial revolution and the invention of the electric light bulb, the natural ecosystems of the Earth spend more and more time bathed in artificial light within a 24-hour cycle. How does the artificial light and lack of darkness impact wildlife? How does the obstruction of the night’s sky affect bird migration, pollination, and reproduction?
    Much of the study of light and health has been dedicated to the impact of light upon humans; however, animals and plants are also intrinsically photosensitive and subject to the unwanted effects of stray light. How can a rethinking of design, landscape lighting, and codes alleviate some of these harmful effects? Ms. Slade will provide encouraging considerations to minimize these negative impacts.

    Finding the Mother Tree will be given by Suzanne Simard.

    Trees are connected, that’s right, CONNECTED. Through their research, Dr. Simard and her team have discovered that trees are connected below-ground via a vast fungal network. The Mother Tree project is investigating forest renewal practices that will protect biodiversity, carbon storage and forest regeneration as climate changes. This field-based research compares various retention levels of Mother Trees (large, old trees) and their neighbors, as well as regenerating seedling mixtures, in Douglas-fir forests located across nine climatic regions in British Columbia.
    What is the mysterious, powerful force that connects and sustains others? The old, large trees in forests are responsible for nurturing and connecting forests in the same profound ways that families and human societies nurture and connect their members. Learn about the vital and inseparable bonds that enable survival of all.

    The next talk will be by Desiree Narango Phd, on Using Informed Plant Selection to Restore Pollinators and Songbirds.

    Functional food webs are essential for the successful conservation of ecological communities. In terrestrial systems, food webs are built on a foundation of co-evolved interactions between plants and their consumers. Efforts to restore urban and suburban green space, provide ecosystem services, and combat adverse impacts of development have resulted in widespread tree- and garden- planting efforts. Yet, little attention is given to the importance of plant identity for successfully supporting biodiversity. In this presentation, Dr. Narango will discuss the ecological and evolutionary relationships between plants, pollinators, and songbirds and highlight her recent research demonstrating that particular native plants are crucial for supporting local food webs. She will also share examples where species interaction data can provide quantitative metrics to inform planting guidelines to restore wildlife habitat in shared, living- and working landscapes.

    She’ll wrap up by offering some advice for how each person can help move planet Earth towards this best-case scenario. It turns out that the most effective actions to change over-arching systems are collective, political actions, whereas personal lifestyle changes and landscaping choices offer more of a cultural and personal template for the future. Come to have your hope renewed and your enthusiasm for action elevated!

    Finally, Yujuan Chen, Phd, will speak on Human-Natural System Connections: Soil, Water, and Trees. Currently more than half of the world population lives in urban areas — human-natural systems. Coupled with a changing climate, cities and towns are under high pressure to provide residents with sufficient resources, a livable environment, and desired quality of life. This presentation will discuss human-natural system connections including soil, water, trees, and their interactions with human decisions and activities. At the international level, how can we comprehensively integrate forests and trees into sustainable urban development with sound policies? At the regional level, how can we strategically and effectively engage communities in soil management and conservation? At the site level, how can we help urban tree establishment, improve tree growth, and ultimately sustain related long-term ecosystem services (e.g., stormwater mitigation) through urban soil best management practices? The findings from a set of studies will be shared to illustrate the connections and potential of green (trees), blue (water), and brown (soil) infrastructure in the city.

    For full biographies and information, visit https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/regenerative-and-resilient/

  • Wednesday, November 17, 12:00 noon – Nature’s Sanctuary: Challenges of and Solutions for a SITES Gold Landscape

    Join the Ecological Landscape Alliance and Horticulturist Gregg Tepper online on November 17 at noon to learn about and understand the history and challenges of a SITES Gold landscape and real-world solutions to achieve the desired results. From the site’s creation in 2008 and original design intent, to 2020 and its evolved management plan, Tepper will share the difficulties faced and detailed, pragmatic solutions needed to overcome them. The topics include invasive species and stormwater mitigation, native plant choices, and maintenance strategies effectively utilized for this managed-succession site. From its current existence as a meadow through its future progression to a late-succession woodland, you’ll learn what Tepper has planned, and you’ll find the revealed surprise of this truly unique site. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

    Gregg Tepper is a professional horticulturist, lecturer, consultant, and lifelong native plant enthusiast. After studying Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Delaware and several years creating his own ornamental and native plant gardens, Mr. Tepper started a horticultural maintenance business designing and managing private gardens in southeast Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. He went on to work at Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, DE where he held the positions of Horticulturist, Woods Path Horticulturist, and Director of Horticulture. Subsequently he was Director of Horticulture and board member of Delaware Botanic Gardens in Dagsboro, DE. He was instrumental in developing the initial horticultural mission, leading the garden steward volunteers, and implementing a two-acre meadow designed by world-renown garden designer Piet Oudolf. Mr. Tepper is now the Horticulturist at the Arboretum at Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries in Philadelphia, PA where he manages various display gardens including Nature’s Sanctuary, a SITES Gold credited landscape. Gregg has lectured extensively in the United States and Great Britain. Also, he is co-author of the book Deer-resistant Native Plants for the Northeast.

  • Wednesday, November 3, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Eco-Answers with an ELA Eco-Pro: Specialty Gardens, Online

    Do you have (or desire to have) a specialty garden but need a little help getting started?
    Sometimes referred to as garden niches, there are many types of specialty gardens. They can include gardens with a particular aesthetic (like Japanese Gardens), focus on a particular type of plants (herb gardens), or be characterized by their size (small pocket gardens or large meadows).

    Join ecological landscape specialist Pennington (Penn) Marchael to ask your questions about garden niches and get professional advice to help solve your problems or get your project started. During this 90-minute Zoom live forum, Penn will provide answers to some common questions and then focus on audience questions.

    Penn will start the evening with brief opening remarks about a couple of specialty gardens and then jump right into your questions for the bulk of the Q&A session. Some topics that Penn can address are:

    • Building a biodiverse meadow
    • Creating gardens for winter interest
    • Sizing plants for a small courtyard
    • Leaving semi-wild garden areas
    • Designing a butterfly garden
    • Featuring texture in a shade garden
    • And more…

    Please send your questions in advance so that Penn will know where to focus his attention. Also send photos of the plants in question to provide some reference and to add interest to the discussion. Email photos along with your questions to: penny@ecolandscaping.org.
    If you don’t submit questions in advance, no problem, we will also be taking questions throughout the event.

    Once you are registered for Eco-Answers with the ELA Eco-Pros, you will receive an email with the Zoom Webinar link. Pennington Marchael is a landscape contractor based in Brooklyn and Bedford Hills, New York. Throughout his career he has cultivated a deep understanding of horticulture and ecology, which he uses to execute successfully vibrant landscapes. Mr. Marchael has over ten years of experience in project management, landscape construction, and maintenance. In those ten years, he has installed and maintained meadows from Virginia to Northern New York with a total of over one hundred fifty acres installed and many more maintained and monitored. His present focus is growing his business, Pennington Grey, where he aspires to train a new generation of land managers who will lead the landscape industry away from traditional practices and toward a more sustainable and dynamic approach.

    This webinar is free but open only to ELA members. Annual memberships start at $25. To join, visit https://www.ecolandscaping.org/membership/