City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/701610
28 City Trees S M A R O U N D T A B L E Adventures with Slopes In the summer of 2006 I was asked to help with the removal of junk vegetation, such as common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima), and shrub honey- suckle (Lonicera spp.), as a new high rise condominium com- plex was nearing completion. The building had been sited on the south bank of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga overlooking the Tennessee Riverwalk and the new waterfront. Just downhill from the condominium, the 14,000-square-foot (1300-square m) patch of mostly invasive species had become an eyesore and I was just itching to clear this long-neglected area. Furthermore, the developer knew that the views of the river were a key selling point for prospective buyers. After several meetings with stakeholders, an agreement was reached whereby the City's Urban Forestry Division would remove the existing vegetation and the condominium owner would contract with a locally owned company, Earthscapes, to design and install a system that would stabilize the steep bank and prevent soil erosion and at the same time would be aesthetically pleasing. Earthscapes chose to use the technol- ogy from Filtrexx called the "Living Wall." In this system, mesh tubes ("socks") filled with composted leaf material from the City's wood recycling center were placed on mostly bare soil. A nurse crop of grass seed was planted on top of the Filtrexx socks. As each sock was installed, a permanent crop of native red and yellow twig dogwood (Cornus sericea and C. sericea 'Flaviramea') and false indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa) was planted between the socks. The results were stunning! Within a few weeks, a beautiful car- pet of green grass quickly germinated and the dogwoods and false indigo bushes soon followed. The nurse crop of grass lived The slope in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the beginning of the clearing operation. Photo by Gene Hyde