The US EPA, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust recently partnered to provide $3.7 million in grants to 34 organizations through the Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs Initiative (G3). The purpose of the G3 grant program is to help add green space and reduce stormwater runoff by using green…
Anabrus simplex The Mormon cricket, Anabrus simplex, is a large insect, growing up to 8 cm in length and so-called due to the near destruction of Utah settlers’ crops in 1848. These insects are not true crickets but belong to the shieldbacked katydid family, Tettigoniidae. They live throughout the American northwest, beginning in southern Canada and ranging south…
Lead Liability In the early days of gasoline production lead was added to gas because it was found to improve automobile performance, but as technology improved and the health hazards of lead were discovered the use of lead as an additive was phased out. Unfortunately, 50 years of car emissions containing lead has remained in the environment.…
Many jurisdictions now have ordinances the require calculation of pre- and post-development tree canopy cover and consequent mitigation requirements if certain thresholds are not reached. The Consulting Group at SavATree can create quantitative data on trees and stands on the desktop: We then visit the site in the field to add qualitative information on tree…
SITES v2, the most comprehensive tool for planning, designing, and building sustainable projects is now available. With focus areas related to Water, Soil + Vegetation, Materials, and Human Health, SITES v2 can help you create sustainable landscapes. You can download the SITES v2 rating system and related tools here. The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) program…
We are pleased to be helping the Northern Kentucky Urban and Community Forestry Council (NKUCFC) with a tree canopy assessment for Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties. Using National Agricultural Imagery Program remote sensing data combined with LiDAR data, we were able to create a high resolution tree canopy cover data set. By combining these data…
Green Space and Good Health The connection between green space and community health has been discussed, researched and extensively studied for some time. The conclusion is that the amount of open, green space in the form agricultural, urban or natural green space definitely has an effect on the surrounding community. However, analysis shows that relationship varies based…
Summer Solstice Story At 6:51 a.m. eastern daylight saving time on June 21st, summer officially begins in the northern hemisphere! This is the moment of Summer Solstice, when the sun is shining directly down on the Tropic of Cancer, the latitudinal line north of the equator facing the sun during the summer due to the 23.5 degree…
Yesterday we facilitated a meeting hosted by USGS on water quality monitoring in the Baltimore region. USGS is the leader in this activity. They realized that counties, the state, researchers, NGOs and federal agencies are all monitoring water quality at various locations and frequencies for various reasons. This led to the question: are there opportunities…
Posy Popularity Consumers in the United States spent over 27 billion dollars on fresh-cut flowers, cut cultivated greens, potted flowering plants, foliage plants and garden plants in 2012. Floriculture is the 3rd largest agricultural product in this country. The industry consists of more than 60,000 small businesses including wholesalers, retailers, growers, distributors and imported. Both women and men…
