Boston Flora

Tag: hydrology

  • Wednesday, September 15, 12:00 noon – Water Infiltration and Improved Soil Carbon Storage, Online

    Water infiltration replenishes groundwater and is a normal part of healthy hydrology. Also, undisturbed soils store carbon, and carbon depleted soils are less productive for food value and have less infiltration capacity.

    In the face of climate change and the move toward more resilient practices, both green infrastructure and regenerative agricultural practices offer the same effect: they improve the soil’s ability to infiltrate water and store carbon. In this Ecological Landscape Alliance presentation, Ann English will explore strategies for increasing the carbon storage capacity of soil, including adding biochar, for increasing both carbon and infiltration capacities. She will also look at techniques for restoring degraded and eroded lands through planting and mulching. The webinar will be held September 15 at noon Eastern time, and you may register at www.ecolandscaping.org (free for ELA members).

    Ann English, PLA, ASLA, LEED® AP BD+C is the RainScapes Program Manager for the Montgomery County, MD Department of Environmental Protection. Under her direction, the RainScapes program has developed its incentive program into a model that others have copied. The incentive program is based on three elements: clear technical guidance, diligent data management, and excellent customer service. The program has right sized its rebate structure and streamlined its application process and grown to greatly expand the amount of land converted to manage stormwater using RainScapes practices. A key component of RainScapes practices is the improvement of local site hydrology with a focus on native plants and improving infiltration capacity through planting and working with in situ soils to achieve runoff reduction goals. An ongoing effort is being made to evaluate practices as they relate to climate change, carbon storage, carbon footprint reduction. Ann is both a designer and teacher who has worked in the private, non-profit, and governmental sectors. She is passionate about plants, and how to design and evaluate plant performance in the environments in which they are planted

  • Friday, September 20 & Saturday, September 21, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm – Basic Wetland Identification and Delineation

    This Native Plant Trust two-day course on September 20 and 21 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham introduces the principal elements of wetland identification including wetland hydrology, hydric soils, and hydrophytic plants. We identify plants in the field, place a delineation line, and utilize web resources. Recommended gear includes a field notebook, field guides, soil color charts, an auger, and rainwear. Bring a bag lunch.  William E. Kuriger is the instructor, and the fee is $216 for NPT members, $254 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/basic-wetland-identification-and-delineation/

  • Monday, October 17 – Friday, November 18 – Plants 102: Deeper Into the Green World

    Delve deeper into the New England Flora in this New England Wild Flower Society online and field course. Learn how plants change as they grow; how they interact with other species; and how geology, soils, land-use history, hydrology, and climate shape the plant communities of the region. You’ll adopt a plant to observe throughout the course and enjoy interacting with the course instructor Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth and your fellow students. This course includes five weeks of online instruction. You can elect to join an optional field trip led by an enthusiastic botanist in your state. Plants 101 is a complement to Plants 102 but is not a prerequisite.

    Field Trip Note: One field trip will be held in each New England state and participation is optional. If you would like to attend the trip as part of the course, please register for both the course and the field trip. Field trip dates and specific locations will be announced six weeks before the course launches. $100 for NEWFS members, $125 for nonmembers. Course plus field trip $128 for NEWFS members, $160 for nonmembers. Register at http://newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/plants-102-deeper-into-the-green-world-1

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  • Thursdays, July 11 – August 1, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm – Soil & Plant Association Field Trip Course

    This Landscape Institute of Boston Architectural College summer course, to be held Thursdays, July 11 – August 1 from 9:30 – 4, kicks off with an orientation at the Doyle Center (below) in Leominister, Massachusetts, and concentrates four full days on different landscape locations from Central Massachusetts to the North Shore.  Classes will explore the relationship of geology and soils to plants and hydrology.  Alluvial, glacial, and seacoast processes will be examined to analyze prevailing ecological factors such as site drainage, ecology, specific site soil potentials and restrictions.  Techniques to observe microclimate factors and their effect on site design and maintenance will be discussed.  Using the power of observation, you will infer soil development, site hydrology and nutrient flow.  Students will be able to outline potential sustainable planting plans and maintenance recommendations using native plants and controlling invasive plants by the end of this hands-on course investigation.  Individual transportation or ability to carpool will be necessary to complete the course.  The instructor is Marty Michener, and the audit price is $730. Register at www.the-bac.edu/LI.

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  • Splatter Spotter

    The United States has 6.5 million kilometers of public roads that are used by approximately 255 million vehicles annually. Road corridors cover approximately 1% of the surface of the United States, but the ecological impacts extend well beyond these actual road surfaces. A minimum of 19% of the terrestrial United States is directly affected by roads, and 22% of the United States appears to be ecologically altered by our road network. Roads alter species interactions, animal behavior, soil characteristics, hydrology, and vegetative cover. The magnitude of these effects is correlated with proximity to the road surface, but extends throughout a “road effect zone”. The Splatter Spotter app developed by California State University for iPhones is designed to allow you to help scientists track where road kill is the most common, allowing us to better design roads and crossing structures to minimize the harm to animals and the hazards to drivers.  To download, visit www.roadkill.csuci.edu.

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  • Tuesday, March 29, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Vernal Pools: Ecology and Design Considerations

    Elizabeth Colburn, Ph.D., Aquatic Ecologist with the Harvard Forest, Harvard University, will give an illustrated presentation at the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesday, March 29, from 1:30 – 3:30. Betsy will speak about the natural history and ecology of New England vernal pools in the context of ecological landscaping. Topics will include the origins and annual cycles of vernal pools; life histories of common pool animals; year-round habitat needs of pool inhabitants; linkages among vernal pools, adjacent uplands, and other water bodies; factors affecting water quality and hydrology; plants associated with vernal pools; and strategies for avoiding damage to vernal pool ecosystems within managed landscapes.  Fee $20 Ecological Landscaping Association and Arnold Arboretum members, $25 nonmember.

    Co-sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.  Register online at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or by phone at 617-384-5277.