Big Green Investment: The value of planning and maintaining landscaping.

• Author: Briggs, Peter
• Position: ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING

A building will never again look as good as it did at the ribbon cutting. In comparison, the ribbon cutting for a landscape marks the start of another five years or more to give it time to grow in and begin to mature. Then, depending on the maintenance it receives, a landscape will continue to evolve forever. As the adage goes, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now."

Landscapes are a long-term investment, and as such they can have high installation costs. They also aren't always optional. Many jurisdictions in Alaska have specific landscape requirements for undeveloped and previously developed properties, including the Municipality of Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, City of Palmer, and City of Wasilla. These codes mandate the type and extent of landscape that needs to be installed, although they often leave it open (to various degrees) to how those requirements are met. A stipulation within these codes is that the landscapes are maintained in compliance with their permitted conditions, and some of these jurisdictions require bonds to guarantee that plants establish successfully.

With significant recent increases in plant material costs and installation, this required landscape can represent a large investment. This also applies to the landscapes that an owner may choose to invest in without the code requirement.

Here are some tips to protect that investment.

* Purchase and install quality planting material. Industry standards set a quantitative basis for quality, including the American Standard for Nursery Stock. Poor quality plant material is a bad investment and may cause future problems.

* Install as much high-quality planting soil as possible. Good soils provide moisture retention and nutrients for tree growth, and the larger the soil extends, the more likely that a tree will be healthy and remain structurally sound. For example, research supports that an 8-inch caliper tree benefits from 600 cubic feet of soil for vitality. Many of our poorly performing landscapes can be attributed to poor or overly compacted soils.

* Select the correct species. Whether to align with the space available, desired design, or for lower maintenance, use the right tree or shrub species in the right place. The wrong plant or the wrong location can create future problems as plants get larger, create maintenance requirements, or affect adjacent structures.

* Maintain the investment. Trees require ongoing...