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Green Roofs in Fraser Lowland and Vancouver Island Ecoregions

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Ecoregional Green Roofs

Part of the book series: Cities and Nature ((CITIES))

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Abstract

This chapter presents case studies of four conservation sites and seven green roofs located in western British Columbia in the ecoregions of the Fraser Lowlands and Vancouver Island. The region is geographically complex with remnants of forested, savanna, and grassland ecoregions that once populated the Fraser River delta and parts of Vancouver Island. Historically, prairie and savanna vegetation dominated the ground plain on the delta. Less than 25% of the original temperate forests remain intact, and only a few small preserves sustain the endangered native grassland habitats that were once widespread on the southeastern edge of Vancouver Island and the delta. Annual precipitation at Victoria averages about 600 mm, Nanaimo averages about 1000 mm and Vancouver 1190 mm. Much of the precipitation takes place during the fall, winter, and spring, as summers are cool and dry. This chapter highlights how 42 plant taxa native to the region have been trialed on seven ecoregional green roofs.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following individuals for dedicating their time, resources, and sharing of their knowledge of green roofs and native landscapes including John Ross, City of Vancouver; Guy Pottinger with VanDusen Botanical Garden; Bruce Hemstock, and Margot Long with PWL Partnership Landscape Architects; Dr. Caroline Josefsson and Rob Halsall with the Vancouver Island University; Peter Kreuk with Durante Kreuk; Rachel O’Neill with the Burnside Gorge Community Association; Ken Larsson and David Stoyko with Connect Landscape Architecture; Dr. Richard Hebda with the Royal BC Museum and Archives; Patricia Perrone student at the University of British Columbia; Troy-Anne Constable and Samantha Sharpe with the Island West Coast Development; Rod Nataros at NATS Nursery; Michael Wisshack with Etera; Karen Needham at the University of British Columbia; and Peter and Joy Schmidt with Vitaroofs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, 305A Langford Architecture Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Bruce Dvorak

  2. The Landscape Architecture & Environmental Design Program, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Daniel Roehr

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  1. Bruce Dvorak
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Correspondence to Bruce Dvorak .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning 305A Langford Architecture Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Bruce Dvorak

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Dvorak, B., Roehr, D. (2021). Green Roofs in Fraser Lowland and Vancouver Island Ecoregions. In: Dvorak, B. (eds) Ecoregional Green Roofs. Cities and Nature. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58395-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58395-8_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-58394-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-58395-8

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