Trees / Soil / Stormwater
Integration through Suspended Pavement systems

Presenter:

Michael James, DeepRoot Canada Corp.
mjames@deeproot.com

Michael James is the General Manager of DeepRoot Canada Corp.  Mike has been in the municipal street tree / Stormwater industry for over 25 years and has worked extensively with landscape architects, municipalities, engineers, and landscape contractors to provide solutions for the health of the Urban Forest and Low Impact Development techniques. Michael has a Degree in Public Administration and Business Management

Summary of Presentation

This course will review the design process, basic applications, case studies and academic research around the stormwater mitigation potential for integrating Soil, Urban Trees and Stormwater, with a focus on suspended pavement systems. 

Suspended pavement makes two very important functions possible in urban settings: urban tree growth and on-site stormwater management. The integration of green utilities like soil, trees and water into our urban areas substantially improves their design sustainability and helps alleviate some of our most pressing ecological challenges – including air and water quality, rising temperatures, and flooding and erosion from daily rainfall events. This presentation will be focus on the practical design steps necessary to include a suspended pavement system as part of your stormwater solution as well as reviewing the results of monitored sites around North America and Europe.

Target Audience for Presentation

Civil Engineers, Planners, Landscape Architects, and city officials

Primary learning objectives for the presentation

1. Upon completion, participants will understand the mechanisms through which tree/soil systems provide stormwater benefits.
2. Upon completion, participants will be familiar with some of the most cutting edge policy developments to encourage tree/soil systems for stormwater management.
3. Upon completion, participants will know results of the latest research that has quantified stormwater benefits of tree/soil systems
4. Upon completion, participants will have a working knowledge of the design process of how tree/soil systems can be integrated into landscapes of various scales to maximize ecological services through the use of suspended pavement systems.