Jenna Zukswert

From Food Waste to Roadways: Using Compost to Improve Soil Conditions and Tree Success Along Highways

October 5, 2020October 6, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments cities, Compost, food waste, Soil, tree planting

Planting trees along highway roadsides is a good way to increase tree coverage in cities, but getting trees to grow here and maintaining these plantings over time can be difficult. Reducing soil compaction and adding organic material, such as compost, can improve roadside soils and support tree growth in these areas. A 5-year study in Ontario recently found that loosening up the soil and mixing in 10-25% food waste compost relative to soil can help improve tree growth along roadsides, possibly reducing the need to follow up and maintain these trees over time.

Paved path in a city surrounded by green lawn, trees, and a row of park benches

Cities Environmental Science

Unequal Access to Urban Tree Benefits in the Bronx

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments ecosystem services, environmental justice, Trees, urban ecology

Urban trees provide many ecosystem services to residents, but tree cover can be unequally distributed, resulting in fewer benefits for disadvantaged neighborhoods. This is true in the Bronx, where a recent study demonstrates that the distribution of services provided by trees is related to median income as well as population density. Analyzing the inequity of ecosystem services in our cities is the first step towards developing solutions to improve access to ecosystem services and make the distribution of these resources more just.

Two plots in a burned pine forest; the plot on the left did not receive mulch and has few pine seedlings, and the plot on the right that did receive mulch has more, taller pine seedlings

Environmental Science

A Matter of Mulch: Restoring Post-Fire Pine Forests in the Western United States

June 1, 2020May 30, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments erosion, forest managment, mulch, pine, Restoration, Soil, Wildfire

Following severe fires, forest soils can erode, depositing sediment into nearby waterways after it rains and threatening local water quality as a result. Mulch is often used to reduce soil erosion in forests following wildfire. Following the High Park Fire in Colorado, scientists tested several types of mulch to determine which was most effective. Thanks to this study, we now know that wood mulch is better than wheat-straw mulch at promoting the return of pine trees and excluding non-native species from taking over, while also stabilizing the soil, probably because wood mulch persists longer and holds more moisture.