Dustin Bajer

Designing With Nature. These are my projects.

  • Shop
    • Stickers
    • Online Beekeeping Courses
  • About Me
  • Order A Beehive
  • Beekeeping Courses
    • Online Beekeeping Certificate
    • Course 1: All About Honeybees
    • Course 2: Getting Started in Beekeeping
    • Course 3: Hive Management & Diseases
    • Course 4: Honey Harvesting & Winterization
  • Contact
  • My account
  • Checkout
  • Cart

Development and the Future of Urban Forests

December 3, 2019 by Dustin Bajer

Tree Life Expectancy and the Cycle of Urban Development

Since trees can live longer than the buildings, they cohabit the landscape with, development has an enormous impact on the life expectancy of a tree. Developers prefer blank-slates, so levelling the site is common and preferred. Bigger buildings fetch bigger profits, and while mature trees also increase property value, they’re susceptible to damage from nearby excavation, soil compaction, and regrading.

Development Frequency and Tree Survival Rate

The life expectancy of a privately owned tree is tied to (1) how often development happens and (2) the care taken to protect on-site trees during construction. Robust building codes, routine maintenance, flexible zoning, and the housing market influence the former. Setback requirements, market demand, and a cultural appreciation for the value of trees impact the latter. Both can be influenced by strong planning and bylaws that provoke pause or shed light on the benefit of mature trees.

A Thought Experiment

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles, Heritage Plants of Edmonton Tagged With: Edmonton, Heritage Plants of Edmonton, Long Trees, Pine Trees (Pinus spp.), Prunus spp., Urban Forestry, Urbanism

Slow Landscaping: A Case For Planting Ancient Trees

June 22, 2017 by Dustin Bajer

Slow Landscaping: A case for planting ancient trees.

Urban Sentinels

Almost by definition, cities are active, busy, bustling, ever-changing places where short-lived beings go about their busy days. Fast fashion, quick commerce, short election cycles – the world around us takes on various pace layers.

What better way to slow to slow things down than to seed cities with beings capable of living centuries or millennia? In what ways might a walk beneath ancient giants and twisted ancestors place us in a bigger here? A longer now?

The Long Now

Artist and musician Brian Eno once said that he wants to live in a “big here” and a “long now”. How long is your now? That is to say – what’s the timeframe in which you view our day to day? What timescale informs your decisions? Days? Months? Centuries?

In 01996, the LongNow Foundation (named by Eno) formed to “provide a counterpoint to today’s accelerating culture and [to] help make long-term thinking more common”. They define they now – the longnow – as the last 10 000 years and the next 10 000 years.

How differently would we act if we lived in a longer now? In what ways would our decisions change and in what ways might out priorities shift?

Slow Landscaping

The point of slow landscaping is to provide continuity in a fast paced environment – to provide pause and contemplation – to remind us that we are the result of circumstances that extends way before (and after) us – that we’re living in the LongNow. Slow landscaping asks us to act in ways – and is an act in and of itself – that leaves future generations with more options than we inherited.

One strategy may be to plant long-lived trees on sites unlikely to be disturbed. A second more devious strategy might be to plant long-lived trees to protect existing and vulnerable sites from future disturbances or development.

Living longer than most buildings, slow landscapes would dictate the shape of the built environment – as opposed to the other way around. Cities and buildings would bend and shift to fit slow landscapes like geological features. Each tree would shape the fabric of the spaces it occupies. Poor architects and planners will hate them, but good ones will incorporate them into their designs.

Long-Lived Species

There are many long-living species to choose from – a quick google search yields a list of the world’s oldest individual trees – many of which are slow growing conifers living in high alpine environments. I’ve selected a handful suitable for growing in my local (Edmonton) environment. I encourage you to see what will grow where you live.

Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata) – 500 to 2500 years

One of three bristlecone pine species, P. aristata, can be found at local nurseries here in Edmonton and is a small to medium sized tree (20 feet tall and 25 feet wide) native to the Blackhills of Colorado.

I know of at least one bristlecone pine growing at the Goerge Pegg Botanic Garden near Glenenis, Alberta (an hour West of Edmonton). Read more about this bristlecone pine at conifers.org.

Korean Pinenut (Pinus koraiensis) – 500 years

Koren Pinenut is a slow-growing giant that produces edible nuts. Reportedly hardy to USDA zone 3, the Korean Pinenut is native to parts of Korea, Manchuria, Eastern Russia, and Japan. The tree can reportedly reach 100 feet, though, 30 to 50 feet is more typical for trees under cultivation. Plant one now and you’ll be harvesting pine nuts in 15 to 45 years – expect a yield of 10 to 20 pounds per tree. Bring a ladder.

Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) – 500 to 1200 years

Native to the high elevations of Alberta’s mountains, the whitebark pine is a long living Alberta tree with significant ecological value for wildlife (having coevolved with the local Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) who bury and inadvertently propagate seeds. Like the Korean Pinenut, the seeds are edible, though, smaller.

The Whitebark pine is slow growing and can take on various forms depending on the harshness of its location. At high elevations, it sometimes grows as a multi-stemmed shrub but has the potential to get as large as 70 feet tall and 45 feet wide in more favourable conditions. The oldest recorded tree is 1200 years old.

The Whitebark Pine is currently a species under threat due to white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle, and the ill effect of fire suppression. The most comprehensive sources of information on Whitebark pine that I could find is an Alberta Conservation Association report from 2007 and a profile on conifers.org.

Alpine Larch (Larix lyallii) – 500 to 1500 years

A native Alberta tree found at high altitudes in the Rocky Mountains. Alpine Larch can grow anywhere from 30 to 80 feet tall depending on elevation – growing shorter at higher elevations. Soft green needles turn golden and fall off each year.

The oldest Alpine Larch is in Kananaskis and reported to be over 1900 years old. More information at conifers.org.

Honourable Mention: Trembling Aspin (Populus tremuloides) – 80 000+ years

The trembling or quaking aspen grows locally in Alberta is has the potential to live for tens of thousands of years due to its massive underground root system that perpetually sends up new trunks. Though individual trunks – that present as individual trees – are short-lived, the plant as a whole can grow to be ancient.

The oldest know trembling aspen is named Pando growing in Utah’s Fishlake National Forest. Pando is a single male aspen tree estimated to be over 80 000 years old. Pando covers a staggering 106 acres, has over 4000 trunks, and has a mass around 6 600 metric tonnes.

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Bio, Biophilic Design, Botany, Urban Ecology, Urbanism, What Grows Here?

The Nature of Cities. Why Cities are Good for the Environment

March 5, 2017 by Dustin Bajer

Want to Help the Environment? Move To A City. The Bigger, The Better

Contrary to our cultural narrative, cities are good for nature. Why? Because cities are natural and governed by same processes that created ecological systems. In fact, cities may be the most useful tool we have for tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems. One study out of Yale University reported:

“New Yorkers have the smallest carbon footprints in the United States: 7.1 metric tons of greenhouse gases per person per year, or less than 30 percent of the national average. Manhattanites generate even less.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Biophilic Design, Urbanism

The Nature Of Cities. Why Cities are Good For The Environment.

June 14, 2015 by Dustin Bajer 3 Comments

Biophilic Cities Love and Integrate Natural System Into Their Design

When ecologist Edward O Wilson coined the terms biodiversity and biophilia, he opened our eyes to new ways of viewing the world. Now, architects, designers, and academics such as Richard Register, Tim Beatley, and Geoffrey West are using lessons from ecology and network theory to design tomorrow’s resilient urban environment; biophilic cities.

Richard Register, Ecosity Builders. Biophilic Cities

Biophilic/Ecocity design incorporates functional ecology into urban landscapes.
Drawing by Richard Register, Ecocity Builders

What is a Biophilic City?

A biophilic city then embraces and incorporates natural systems into its design.  They integrate the built and natural worlds in beneficial ways. The result? Biophilic cities are more attractive and less prone to floods, droughts, resource shortages, waste, and boredom. Biophilic cities have the potential to save money, resources, and spark the imagination.

Cities Are Natural – And Good For The Environment

We tend to view our built and natural environments as opposing forces. But I would argue that this perceived incompatibility has more to do with poor design than universal law. As it turns out, urban environments already play host to countless organisms. Let’s go a step further and argue that cities are natural. Far from being static, nature is the process of moving from few to many connections. In this successional process, each stage of builds upon the previous stage and creates the conditions necessary for the next. In this way, ecological systems diverge, diversify, and expand over time. What starts off as fragile becomes complex and resilient. As it turns out, cities behave in a similar way. What starts off as a small settlement expands to include many of the needs and services necessary to support the community. At each stage, the future is built on the present. As new connections grow, the system expands, and new possibilities emerge.

Biophilic Cities are Resilient

Resiliency is a property of systems and a measure of how connected its pieces are. As natural and built systems expand, their potential for connections increases rapidly.

Muir web of Manhattan

Each point in a Muir web represents a living or non-living element in an ecosystem. Lines between elements represent relationships. As biodiversity increases, the potential for connections increases. The more relationships there are, the more resilient the ecosystem tends to be.

Networks Under Succession from fragile to resilient to antifragile.

Most systems start with few connections. As new elements emerge the number of potential connections increases. In this way, systems move from fragile to resilient and (at times) antifragile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biophilic Cities Are Ecotones

Ecologists describe the intersection of two ecological systems as an ecotone. Ecotones bring together the biodiversity of each plus a few others (think otters at the edge of a lake). As a result, ecotones are rich in ecological relationships. They are among the most biologically diverse places on the planet. By design, Biophilic Cities are ecotones that connect economy, society and nutrients (money, food, and waste) with ecosystem services. Ex. Waste water runoff or the heat island effect become ecological solutions.

Ecotones contain a flourish of biodiversity.

An ecotone is where two different ecosystems meet. Ecotones contain the connections between two ecosystems.

Layers of an ecosystem (forest). Layers of a City. Biophilic Cities

Cities and Ecosystems build up layers over time. As new organisms or elements emerge, they search out connections within the system. Can analogies be drawn between ecological and urban strata?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Biophilic Design, Urban Ecology, Urbanism

6 Benefits That I Didn’t Expect From Cycling

May 25, 2014 by Dustin Bajer 1 Comment

A bicycle commuting. Locked to a parking meter in Old Strathcona, Edmonton.Cycling is great for the environment, your health, and the pocket book, though, a year on my bike has brought some unexpected economic and social benefits.

1. Biking Alleviates Poverty and Benefits the Local Economy
According to stats Canada, the average Alberta household spends over $900/month ($10 800/year) on their vehicles. For some, that means choosing between owning a car or buying food. Providing alternative forms of transportation can lesson the burden on lower income households while putting extra money back into the pockets of everyone else. What do I do with all of that extra cash? Well, I spend it on other things.

2. Hate Potholes, Traffic, or Finding Parking Spaces? Ride a Bike
Bikes are far less destructive to road surfaces than their motorized counterparts. In the end, each ride on a bike saves the city money. When you consider the fact that cycling takes up less road and parking spaces, shouldn’t [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Cycling, Urbanism

Cart

Dustin Bajer

Teacher, permaculture designer, master gardener, hobby beekeeper, consultant, and network nerd living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Read More

Subscribe To My Newsletter

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

  • Making Walnut Ink And Dye
  • Online Beekeeping Community of Practice
  • Online Beekeeping Courses
  • Soil & Grass, and YEGPIE Stickers
  • Forest City Plants Urban Nursery
  • Development and the Future of Urban Forests
  • What Makes A Heritage Tree? Part 1: Time
  • How Gardeners Will Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
  • Nominate an Edmonton Heritage Plant
  • Heritage Plants of Edmonton

Contact Information

[email protected]
1 (780) 235-0223

Privacy Policy

Refund Policy

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Tags

Adjacent Possible Aquaponics Avantgarden Beekeeping Bio Biophilic Design Blueprints Botany BoyleMcCauleyNews Craft Cycling Edmonton Education Elm Trees (Ulmus spp.) Event Food Food Forest Gardening Genetic Engineering Heritage Plants of Edmonton How To List Long Tail Maps Media Microclimates Nature Permaculture Pine Trees (Pinus spp.) Populus spp. Product Prunus spp. Public Talk Quora Rewilding School Gardens Spruce Trees (Picea spp.) Sustainable Food Edmonton Urban Agriculture Urban Ecology Urban Forestry Urbanism Water What Grows Here? YEGPIE

Payment Method

PayPal, Stripe, or Credit Card
eTransfer, Check, or Cash Options Available Upon Request

Copyright © 2021 · Modern Portfolio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in