ASLA UTAH MAY 2024 NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING EVENTS

**VORTEX** **- LA CES Lunch** & **Learn Comprehensive Approach to Heat Management** **JUNE 11THh, 2024 |** **12:00PM MST** ASLA UT Offices 280 S 400 W **REGISTER HERE**

**ASLA National Conference 2024 October 6-9, Washington DC.** **MORE INFO HERE**

**CALL FOR ENTRIES - Professional Awards Program Deadline July 1st, 5:00pm** **CLICK HERE** **for more information**

Leadership Express

Paul Stead, ASLA Utah President

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Open Positions: President Elect, VP of Membership & Member Services, Secretary, Trustee

**CONTACT: LARS ERICKSON , ASLA UT President Elect @Lars.Erickson@kimley-horn.com to nominate yourself or someone else.**

What are a few interesting things about you? I grew up in Richfield, Utah, a small town near the middle of our state. I’m a retired 30-year Army veteran. I enlisted at a young age and served as a terrain analyst (geospatial engineer), preventative medicine specialist (public health), cannon crewmember, paralegal specialist, and human resource specialist.

What led you to landscape architecture? When I travel, I love to visit parks, arboretums, botanical gardens, and various designed landscapes. In my younger days, when stationed in Germany for almost three years, I visited many formal gardens of the Renaissance and more modern parks from Italy over to England. I particularly enjoy the English romantic landscapes and the more natural-looking parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead in the United States.

What is your favorite part of your practice? One of my favorite parts of my practice is that I enjoy educating others in tree selection, incorporating tree diversity metrics into urban greenspaces, and using tree planting designs. I gave a presentation on tree selection at the 2024 Utah Nursery and Landscape Association (UNLA) Green Conference. My presentation caters to landscape design professionals, urban foresters, or anyone who may plant a tree. I talk about lessons learned from our tree history, the need for tree diversity, tree diversity metrics, and greenspace plans for the long term and future generations. I also address important factors of tree selection and a method for comparing trees to overcome personal biases and be more objective about matching the right tree to the planting site.

What is your favorite hobby? Some people like fantasy football. My favorite hobby is building a tree database of over 70 fields I use for tree selection, looking at survival factors, aesthetics, and architectural value. When I finish school, I will use my tree database to help with tree planting designs in urban greenspaces, following tree diversity metrics and using my horticultural knowledge to match the right tree to the planting site.

What do you find inspiring? What I find inspiring is designing greenspaces, using tree planting specifications, and using a diversity of trees in the tree planting scheme by following tree diversity metrics like Dr. Frank Santamour’s 10-20-30 formula. Trees are the backbone of greenspaces. Sadly, overplanting a particular species is a common practice. Using specific tree species can help conserve water because they use ten times less water than grass. Certain tree species are better at erosion control, stormwater management, and soil reclamation. There are so many factors and pros and cons for each tree to consider; therefore, it is essential to match the right tree to the planting site’s conditions and mitigate risks to people, structures, overhead lines, line-of-sight triangles, etc.

WELCOME NEW SPONSORS IN 2024

Special Thanks to ASLA Utah 2024 Sponsors & Corporate Partners for their Support!

Platinum Sponsors
BioGrass | Great Western Recreation | Rain Bird | Victor Stanley

Corporate Partners
Bockholt Designs | Calsense | Denton House | Io LandArch | SEGroup

ASLA UTAH MAY NEWSLETTER