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Request for Statement of Qualifications: St. Tammany Master Planning

Stafford — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:44:33 +0000

REQUEST FOR STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS
RECREATIONAL MASTER PLANNING
FOR RECREATION DISTRICT NO. 14 OF ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA

Recreation District No. 14 of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana is seeking Statement of Qualifications (SOQ’s) from appropriately experienced Landscape Architecture and/or Architecture firms, with principals registered in the State of Louisiana, to provide Recreational Needs and Demand Analysis and Site Master Planning Services. Proposals will be accepted by Recreation District No. 14 of St. Tammany Parish, 13505 Hwy. 1085, Covington, LA until 4:00 P.M., local time, on the 28th day of March , 2008.

Copies of the Request for Statement of Qualifications may be obtained from the Recreation District Office, 13505 Hwy. 1085, Covington, Louisiana or by email request to: jbcoquille@bellsouth.net.

TRAINING OUR FUTURE LEADERS

Stafford — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:39:29 +0000

The Louisiana Chapter of ASLA is sending two young members of the Executive Committee to the Bill Truby Leadership Workshop in Chicago next month. ASLA National is paying registration fees and hotel bills; the Chapter covers airfare and meals. Congratulations to Jenny Bieber of Reich Associates and Leigh LaFargue of BREC!

LSHS Holds Annual Meeting in Lafayette

Stafford — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:19:21 +0000

43 members and guests attended the annual meeting of the Louisiana State Horticulture Society held Tuesday January 8th at the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center at ULL in Lafayette. Morning educational programs were held and attendees visited Mayer’s vegetable growing operation in Lafayette and Kent’s Nursery in Youngsville in the afternoon. Recognized with life member awards were William Ellis Fletcher, retired ULL horticulture professor, and Joseph Robert Barry, Jr., retired LSU AgCenter and ULL horticulture professor. New board members elected with terms expiring in 2011 are LSU AgCenter horticulturists David Himelrick and Allen Owings along with LSU AgCenter food science professor Paul Wilson. LSHS has a spring tour in late May planned to Alabama and will hold their 2009 annual meeting at the Hammond Research Station in Hammond. For additional information on LSHS activities, contact LSHS president Ed Bush at 225.578.1044 or email ebush@agcenter.lsu.edu.

Louisiana House Home Horticulture Educational Programs

Stafford — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:18:51 +0000

Home gardeners have the opportunity to attend monthly horticulture programs in Baton Rouge thanks to a relatively new program being coordinator by LSU AgCenter horticulture faculty. Monthly horticulture educational programs for home gardeners will be held at the Louisiana House Home and Landscape Resource Center starting in January.

These events will be short, mid-day programs held on Fridays mid to late month. Fatured will be timely home garden information on a number of topics. Sustainability, environmental issues, low maintenance options and best management practices will be emphasized.

The first program for 2008 is scheduled for Friday January 25th. LSU AgCenter horticulturists Allen Owings and Bobby Fletcher will give an overview of the horticulture program at Louisiana House and an introduction to the Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods program.

January’s program, and all subsequent programs for the year, will be held at the Louisiana House facility located on Gourrier Lane just west of the Nicholson/Burbank Drive intersection in Baton Rouge. This is next to the LSU campus golf course and across the street from the new baseball facility. Registration will begin at noon with the program starting at 12:10 pm and concluding by 1:00 pm. There is no cost to participate. Attendees are invited to bring their lunch.

Additional programs planned for 2008 are:

Friday February 22nd	Tree Pruning and Other Tree Maintenance Issues Robert Trawick, County Agent (Horticulture)
Friday March 14th	Azaleas for Louisiana Landscapes Allen Owings, Professor (Horticulture)
Friday April 18th	Low Maintenance/Easy Care Roses for Louisiana Allen Owings, Professor (Horticulture)
Friday May 23rd	Lawn Establishment and Initial Maintenance Jeff Beasley, Assistant Professor (Horticulture)
Friday June 20th	Easy Care Summer Annuals Dan Gill, Associate Professor (Horticulture)

July through December programs will be announced this spring. To register for these programs or to obtain additional information, contact the LSU AgCenter’s School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences at 225.578.2222 or email horticulture professors Allen Owings (aowings@agctr.lsu.edu) or Dan Gill (dgill@agctr.lsu.edu).

Proper Tree Planting is Key to Success

Stafford — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:13:46 +0000

It is January in Louisiana and that means it is an ideal time for planting trees. In fact, in Louisiana Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the third Friday of January. We need to be aware of proper tree planting procedures and we need to avoid some of the some of the common mistakes made in planting, establishment, and follow-up care of trees in our landscapes. Many times poor performance of trees in our residential landscapes, commercial landscapes and municipality plantings can be traced to improper planting techniques.

Here are things to keep in mind when planting trees:

Planting the root balls at the proper depth. This is at the grade at which they were growing in the container or slightly above this grade. The top of the root ball should be at the same level or slightly higher than the soil grade. Do not cover the lower trunk with soil.
Planting hole width needs to be considered. The width of the planting hole should be 2-3 times wider than the tree’s root ball. This allows for lateral root development and expansion. Remember that tree roots desire to grow out from the planting hole. The planting hole should be no deeper than the root ball of the tree going into the planting hole. Make the sides of the hole rough instead of smooth – this is especially important in clay type soils.
Avoid planting root-bound plants. If trees are over-grown in the container, cut the encircling roots enough to encourage outward root growth and prevention of future circling. This even helps when the trees are not necessarily over-grown in the container.
Mulch properly. Too much mulch or not enough mulch is common. Do not pile mulch around the base of trees. Mulch to a depth of 3-4″. Pine straw, cypress, pine bark and hardwood bark are good mulch materials. Go out with mulch instead of going up with mulch.
Do not amend the backfill soil. Backfill soil is the soil removed from the planting hole. The current recommendation is to return the soil that came from the planting hole back into the planting hole. Do not amend backfill soil with pine bark, compost or similar materials. A change in the soil texture from the planting hole to the surrounding soil will occur and water from the surrounding soil migrates to the planting hole and saturation of the root system occurs (“soup bowl” effect).
Water properly. Newly planted trees need to be sufficiently watered-in. This eliminates air pockets in the soil that dry out the root system. Apply water at the edge of the original root ball and outward. Do not apply water next to the main stems.
Do not prune significantly at planting. The only pruning of shoot growth that should be done at planting is to remove any dead, broken branches, suckers, etc. Leave some branches on the lower part of the trunk for a year or so – this encourages trunk development. Excessive pruning of shoots at planting can also promote additional shoot growth at a time when root growth is desired.
Soil pH and nutrient content is important. How many of us actually have a soil analysis done prior to planting? Knowing your soil pH is important. A soil test also provides status of other nutrients. If potassium and phosphorus readings are “high” on a soil test fertilizing with 8-24-24 or a similar material probably is not needed but if these values are “low” fertilization would probably be of value.