This week in the world of gardening and nature news: Christmas tree farms use helicopters to pack and ship trees, the first UN soil report is bleak, and we've used even more of the world's fresh water than we thought.
Tom Stuart-Smith to Head New RHS Garden
Above: Photo via 9 Garden Ideas to Steal from England's Tom Stuart-Smith.
In an earlier edition of Garden News, we alerted you to the Royal Horticultural Society's plans to create a fifth flagship garden—"RHS Garden Bridgewater" near Manchester. The society has appointed landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith as master planner and designer of the garden, which is slated to open in 2019. Read the story at the Telegraph.
Global Soils in Poor Health
Above: Dried soil near Grand Junction, Colorado, has white marks of evaporated salts. Photo via National Geographic.
On World Soil Day, December 4, the UN released its first worldwide assessment of the health of soils worldwide. The report reveals sobering stats about soil health: excessive cultivation has drained soils of nutrients, urban sprawl has covered once-farmable lands with impermeable surfaces, and soils are drenched with chemical waste from human industry. Why does it matter? World soils will need to produce 70 percent more food globally by 2050, and soil holds enormous potential for containing the carbon emissions that are causing climate change. Read the story at National Geographic.
UK Landscape Institute Annual Awards
Above: Brentford High Street project is the overall winner. Photo via Kinnear Landscape Architects.
On November 26, the UK's Landscape Institute awarded 2015's top prize to Kinnear Landscape Architects for a public project connecting the West London suburb of Brentford with the River Thames. The award comes in a good year for Kinnear, which designed the landscape of this year's Stirling Prize-winning Burntwood School in London. Other winners include James Corner Field Operations and LDA Design for the South Park Plaza at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and J&L Gibbons for London's Walpole Park. See all the winners at Horticulture Week.
We've Used Even More Fresh Water Than We Thought
Above: Milford Sound, New Zealand. Photo via Trover.
A recent analysis of global water basins suggests that humans have drained more of the world's fresh water than previously thought. The study, published this week in the journal Science, suggests that human freshwater consumption is 18 percent higher than recent estimates would suggest. The reason is that efforts to divert and save water actually increase rates of evapotranspiration, the process by which water leaves the land into the atmosphere. Read it at the Washington Post.
Oregon Ships 6-7 Million Christmas Trees Each Year
Above: Photo via Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm.
Smithsonian magazine reports that most Christmas trees take from 7 to 12 years to reach their full height and require constant coaxing into the right shape as they grow. The bulk are grown in Oregon, where the harvest season begins at the end of summer in order to send six to seven million trees around the world by December. Large tree farms hire helicopter pilots to airlift trees into trucks for global distribution. Read it at Smithsonian.
More from this week:
- Trending on Gardenista: English Country Tour
- Gardenista Obsessions: LA Market
- Trending on Remodelista: A Case of Anglophilia
- Enter by Wednesday, December 9: Win $1,000 to Dara Artisans
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