In Consideration of the Tree: The Importance of Structure and Function in the Realization of Ecological Design

Abstract

The focus of ecological design is to minimize environmentally destructive impacts in designing the built environment. To support this intent and to better sustain the integrity of the urban ecosystem, we must give much greater consideration to the structure and function of an indispensable part of that ecosystem – our trees – and the impact our built environment imposes on them and their ability to provide the ecosystem services benefits we increasingly depend on. Almost all tree species planted in our urban centres evolved in a forest somewhere in the world. It is therefore essential that we incorporate an understanding of forest systems – how that forest tree manages itself – as a basis for spatial development within the urban forest ecosystem. We need to invest this understanding into all aspects of urban forest management, from planning and design to protecting and preserving so that the end result is a sustainable, environmentally compatible composition which can accommodate the needs of our urban trees, the landscapes they populate, and citizen well-being. This chapter will offer an urban forester/consulting arborist’s field observations on the tree – its structure and function and how that knowledge can inform ecological-based design from a Building WITH Trees perspective.