Webinar: Creating More Absorbent Landscapes Through Soil Amendments (Previously Recorded)

Online anytime!
Estimated time requirement: 1 hour
Instructor:  Dean Young

 

Course Description

The way in which landscaped portions of urban environments are constructed and managed affects how absorbent they are to stormwater, in addition to the level of effort that will be required to re-establish and maintain healthy vegetation and the lifespan of the plantings. If best practices to preserve or restore healthy functioning soils in these areas are not applied during construction, changes to soil structure, biology and organic matter content and the effects of compaction can cause them to function more like impervious surfaces. This makes the standard practice of directing roof drainage to them (i.e., roof downspout disconnection) less effective than it could be at reducing urban runoff and contaminant loads to receiving waters. Furthermore, poorer quality planting environments are produced that require more irrigation, fertilizer and effort to re-establish and maintain vegetation and urban tree canopy. This previously recorded webinar presents recommended best practices and minimum standards for preserving and restoring healthy soil in landscaped areas during urban construction and will highlight current efforts underway to standardize soil specifications across Ontario.

 

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is intended for contractors, developers, consultants, municipal staff, landowners or anyone looking to gain a general knowledge of soil amendments practices.

 

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize how topsoil stripping, storage and spreading practices, and construction material specifications can affect the functional performance and maintenance needs of landscaped areas.
2. Summarize soil management best practices during construction that help to create healthier, more absorbent and easier to maintain urban landscapes.
3. Identify recommended minimum standards for preserving and restoring healthy soil in landscape design specifications and construction contracts and ways to verify they have been met through field inspection and testing.

 

Additional information:

IECALandscape Ontario, and AORS members are eligible for discounts. To register at this discounted price please contact us at STEP@trca.ca and provide your member ID for membership confirmation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The video access information will be included in your receipt and you can view the webinar at anytime. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca

TRCA HST Registration number is 10808 8584 RT001