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Browsing by Author "Kane, Brian C."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Attitudes Toward and the Influence of Vegetation on Elementary School Grounds in Virginia
    Arbogast, Kelley L. (Virginia Tech, 2005-12-02)
    This thesis is a result of a survey of elementary school principals at schools with grades kindergarten through 5th in Virginia to determine whether and how attitudes of principals influence vegetation levels on school grounds. The research also looked to find other contributing factors. Principals' educational backgrounds and age proved to be non-influencing factors. However, gender did influence school grounds with women being more likely to administer school grounds with fewer trees and tree plantings than men. Levels of tree vegetation and tree plantings proved to be highly influential in satisfaction with appearance of school grounds. Non-urban schools were more likely to have higher levels of vegetation than urban schools. Parental, service club, and local business involvement are linked together in respondents' satisfaction with each influencing the perception of the others. Analyses of these results can help groups target schools for grounds improvement projects. By understanding what effect principals have on their school grounds steps can be taken at the level of individual schools, school boards, and communities to help improve school grounds.
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    Culture and Propagation of Japanese Maple
    Phillips, Guy (Virginia Tech, 2003-12-12)
    Japanese maples have maintained a steady presence in nurseries and across the suburban landscape of America for many years now. Their fineness of texture, relatively small stature, and colorful displays are attributes that have earned them the admiration of studied horticulturalists and casual observers alike. This document attempts to compile the published accounts of several decades of observations and experiments pertaining to the general culture and propagation of Japanese maples, most specifically, information pertaining to Acer palmatum. In addition to aesthetic beauty, several factors combine to make Japanese maple a valuable horticultural species. These factors are: seedling variability, wide-ranging environmental adaptability, moderate ease of asexual propagation, limited problems with pest and pathogens in both nursery and landscape settings, and consistent commercial value and appeal. Despite the popularity and overall viability of Japanese maple cultivation, information concerning the species, particularly research information, is somewhat lacking.
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    Designing With Climate: Using Parking Lots to Mitigate Urban Climate
    Harris, Amanda M. (Virginia Tech, 2004-04-08)
    Urban areas are known to have different climatic conditions than their rural counterparts including higher temperatures, greater wind speeds, and increased precipitation otherwise known as urban heat islands, urban wind, and urban precipitation. These phenomena are all caused by the design and form of the city. Large amounts of impervious surface area, obtrusive buildings, and a lack of vegetation in the urban landscape all contribute to these problems. Landscape architects have the potential to mitigate urban heat islands, urban wind, and urban precipitation by understanding what causes these phenomena and knowing a few key principles by which to mitigate them. Parking lots can cover up to half of the land area in cities and offer a great opportunity to correct urban climate problems. This thesis looks at current United States parking lot ordinances to determine if and how well principles of designing with climate have been incorporated. Guidelines are then given to help in the construction of a parking lot ordinance that aims to ameliorate the city's mesoclimate. A design is then created that shows how these parking lot guidelines could be incorporated into a functional, aesthetically pleasing parking lot.
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    The Effects of Pruning on Wind Resistance of Shade Trees
    Pavlis, Michael William (Virginia Tech, 2007-07-06)
    Three tree species, Freeman maple (Acer x. freemanii), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor (Willd.)) and shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria (Michx.)) were tested before and after pruning to determine the effectiveness of pruning on reducing drag and bending moment. Pruning methods were thin, reduce and raise and meet the requirements set by the American National Standard Institute A300 standards for Tree Care Operations Trees, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Maintenance - Standard Practices (Pruning). Trees were tested up to speeds of 22.4m*s-1 over 1.6km by driving them in the bed of a truck. Drag, based on a centroid of the crown, and a bending moment was calculated. Drag and bending moment were also normalized by tree mass and crown area. Reduction pruning worked more effectively for Freeman maple and raise pruning for swamp white oak at reducing drag. Simple to measure tree characteristics were analyzed to determine the best predictors of drag and bending moment in the field. Tree mass frequently was the best predictor of drag and bending moment. Information should be used with caution due to the fact that the trees tested were small stature and a limited number of trees were tested.