Lee R. Skabelund is Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture at Kansas State University and enjoys teaching Landscape Ecology, Environmental Issues
Stormwater management is typically approached from different perspectives by practicing professio... more Stormwater management is typically approached from different perspectives by practicing professionals. As such, stormwater planning/design is not always completed as a multi-disciplinary coalition of experts using holistic and synergistic methods. For a number of years, engineers and design professionals, particularly landscape architects, have been employing various strategies and techniques to address on-site stormwater management in terms of water quality and quantity. There is increasing awareness that in order to create solutions that are effective over both the short and long-term a landscape architect’s approach needs to account for the health, safety and welfare perspectives carried by engineers, the unique aspects of particular project sites, their surroundings and bio-regional context, as well as the perceptions of clients, other key stakeholders, and the broader public. This research investigates the various criteria integral to developing an analytic framework for ecolog...
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this ... more The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this project through USEPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant #C9007405 14 (KDHE Funding Codes 3889 2649598).
In this paper, actionable place-based research is defi ned as a refl ective process of designing ... more In this paper, actionable place-based research is defi ned as a refl ective process of designing and implementing projects that address important issues in the local community. Several recent projects at Kansas State University have used this mode of inquiry to initiate demonstration projects infused with specifi c tenets of sustainability. These projects are led by individuals who work collaboratively across disciplines and who are part of a larger community of researchers, educators, and practitioners seeking to improve the way we address challenging design problems. These three design projects have allowed participants to evaluate the place of sustainability in pedagogy, scholarship, and practice.
Many prairie plant habitats have similarities to the harsh and stressful growing environments of ... more Many prairie plant habitats have similarities to the harsh and stressful growing environments of green roofs. In the Mid-Continent Region of the USA under a hot summer climate, little research has been done to study prairie plant communities and their performance with different substrates on green roofs. To explore more sustainable, diverse green roof ecosystems, this research assessed the first-year growth (June to October 2018) on an experimental green roof in the Flint Hills Ecoregion, which has some of the most extensive coverage of intact tallgrass prairie in North America. A mixture of plants (four native prairie grasses and two sedums) were grown on two substrates-a commercial substrate (rooflite® extensive 800) and a regionally mixed substrate (Kansas BuildEx)-placed at two depths: 6.0-13.0 cm (called the "shallow depth") and 16.5-25.5 cm (called the "deep depth"). Plant height, coverage, survival, visual appearance, leaf stomatal resistance, and volumetric substrate water content were measured. Supplemental irrigation was provided equally to each experimental plot during the growing season. It was shown that the regionally mixed substrate had greater effect on plant height at the shallow depth and on coverage at the deep depth. However, volumetric water content was usually higher in the commercial substrate. Substrate type did not affect visual appearance and leaf stomatal resistance. Substrate moisture was inversely related to leaf stomatal resistance at low soil moisture levels. All prairie species survived, while Sedum reflexum had poor survival and coverage. Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sedum rupestre performed well in a green roof community. Bouteloua dactyloides grew very well, but may be too aggressive when planted with sedums. The findings of this study will be of practical value for the design of mixed-species green roof systems in similar mid-continental regions with hot summers.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this ... more The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this project through USEPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant #C9007405 16 (KDHE Funding Codes 3889 2643959).
Designers describe design and implementation strageties to convert an asphalt parking area to a b... more Designers describe design and implementation strageties to convert an asphalt parking area to a bio-retention garden at a zoo in the Kansas Flint Hills.
Green roof monitoring is critical to understand and improve the design, implementation, and manag... more Green roof monitoring is critical to understand and improve the design, implementation, and management of green roof ecosystems. Creating resilient, less resource intensive living roofs fitting their larger eco-regional context, specific local setting, and unique project objectives means understanding inputs and outputs. This chapter addresses monitoring abiotic inputs and outputs related to green roof hydrology (precipitation and irrigation, storage, outflow, and evapotranspiration), water quality, energy fluxes, temperatures, meteorological conditions (wind), and gas/carbon exchange. This chapter presents monitoring approaches and equipment needs from literature and researcher interviews detailing several relevant examples. Important design, educational, and management opportunities relating to effective monitoring programs are discussed.
Kansas State University (KSU) is a land-grant institution, with nine colleges and 23,000 students... more Kansas State University (KSU) is a land-grant institution, with nine colleges and 23,000 students. The 668-acre main campus is located within the City of Manhattan, Kansas, which has a population of approximately 45,000. Through a bottom-up process the university has been seeking to integrate sustainability in student life, curriculum, operations, research, and engagement.
Native prairie species have been both promoted and questioned in their ability to serve as vegeta... more Native prairie species have been both promoted and questioned in their ability to serve as vegetative covers for green roofs. The green roof environment with its exposure to intense sun and wind and limited moisture restricts the capacity for a large diversity of species. The result has been, in many cases, a standard, low-diversity mix of Sedum species often focused on ornament and minimizes the potential for wider environmental benefits. We reviewed the ecological literature on prairie and grassland communities with specific reference to habitat templates from stressed environmental conditions and examined analogs of prairie-based vegetation on twenty-one existing green roofs. We found that many, but not all prairie and grassland species will survive and thrive on green roofs, especially when irrigated as needed or given adequate growing medium depth. We raise several important questions about media, irrigation, temperature, biodiversity and their interactions needing more study.
... of Landscape Architecture / Regional and Community Planning (MLA 2007; lead designer) Dennis ... more ... of Landscape Architecture / Regional and Community Planning (MLA 2007; lead designer) Dennis Day (LAR), Stacy Hutchinson (BAE), Rhonda Janke (HORT ... That evening, Dennis Haag (Ecologist) offered examples of hownative plants and regionally-adapted ecosystems can ...
Stormwater management is typically approached from different perspectives by practicing professio... more Stormwater management is typically approached from different perspectives by practicing professionals. As such, stormwater planning/design is not always completed as a multi-disciplinary coalition of experts using holistic and synergistic methods. For a number of years, engineers and design professionals, particularly landscape architects, have been employing various strategies and techniques to address on-site stormwater management in terms of water quality and quantity. There is increasing awareness that in order to create solutions that are effective over both the short and long-term a landscape architect’s approach needs to account for the health, safety and welfare perspectives carried by engineers, the unique aspects of particular project sites, their surroundings and bio-regional context, as well as the perceptions of clients, other key stakeholders, and the broader public. This research investigates the various criteria integral to developing an analytic framework for ecolog...
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this ... more The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this project through USEPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant #C9007405 14 (KDHE Funding Codes 3889 2649598).
In this paper, actionable place-based research is defi ned as a refl ective process of designing ... more In this paper, actionable place-based research is defi ned as a refl ective process of designing and implementing projects that address important issues in the local community. Several recent projects at Kansas State University have used this mode of inquiry to initiate demonstration projects infused with specifi c tenets of sustainability. These projects are led by individuals who work collaboratively across disciplines and who are part of a larger community of researchers, educators, and practitioners seeking to improve the way we address challenging design problems. These three design projects have allowed participants to evaluate the place of sustainability in pedagogy, scholarship, and practice.
Many prairie plant habitats have similarities to the harsh and stressful growing environments of ... more Many prairie plant habitats have similarities to the harsh and stressful growing environments of green roofs. In the Mid-Continent Region of the USA under a hot summer climate, little research has been done to study prairie plant communities and their performance with different substrates on green roofs. To explore more sustainable, diverse green roof ecosystems, this research assessed the first-year growth (June to October 2018) on an experimental green roof in the Flint Hills Ecoregion, which has some of the most extensive coverage of intact tallgrass prairie in North America. A mixture of plants (four native prairie grasses and two sedums) were grown on two substrates-a commercial substrate (rooflite® extensive 800) and a regionally mixed substrate (Kansas BuildEx)-placed at two depths: 6.0-13.0 cm (called the "shallow depth") and 16.5-25.5 cm (called the "deep depth"). Plant height, coverage, survival, visual appearance, leaf stomatal resistance, and volumetric substrate water content were measured. Supplemental irrigation was provided equally to each experimental plot during the growing season. It was shown that the regionally mixed substrate had greater effect on plant height at the shallow depth and on coverage at the deep depth. However, volumetric water content was usually higher in the commercial substrate. Substrate type did not affect visual appearance and leaf stomatal resistance. Substrate moisture was inversely related to leaf stomatal resistance at low soil moisture levels. All prairie species survived, while Sedum reflexum had poor survival and coverage. Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sedum rupestre performed well in a green roof community. Bouteloua dactyloides grew very well, but may be too aggressive when planted with sedums. The findings of this study will be of practical value for the design of mixed-species green roof systems in similar mid-continental regions with hot summers.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this ... more The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided financial assistance to this project through USEPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant #C9007405 16 (KDHE Funding Codes 3889 2643959).
Designers describe design and implementation strageties to convert an asphalt parking area to a b... more Designers describe design and implementation strageties to convert an asphalt parking area to a bio-retention garden at a zoo in the Kansas Flint Hills.
Green roof monitoring is critical to understand and improve the design, implementation, and manag... more Green roof monitoring is critical to understand and improve the design, implementation, and management of green roof ecosystems. Creating resilient, less resource intensive living roofs fitting their larger eco-regional context, specific local setting, and unique project objectives means understanding inputs and outputs. This chapter addresses monitoring abiotic inputs and outputs related to green roof hydrology (precipitation and irrigation, storage, outflow, and evapotranspiration), water quality, energy fluxes, temperatures, meteorological conditions (wind), and gas/carbon exchange. This chapter presents monitoring approaches and equipment needs from literature and researcher interviews detailing several relevant examples. Important design, educational, and management opportunities relating to effective monitoring programs are discussed.
Kansas State University (KSU) is a land-grant institution, with nine colleges and 23,000 students... more Kansas State University (KSU) is a land-grant institution, with nine colleges and 23,000 students. The 668-acre main campus is located within the City of Manhattan, Kansas, which has a population of approximately 45,000. Through a bottom-up process the university has been seeking to integrate sustainability in student life, curriculum, operations, research, and engagement.
Native prairie species have been both promoted and questioned in their ability to serve as vegeta... more Native prairie species have been both promoted and questioned in their ability to serve as vegetative covers for green roofs. The green roof environment with its exposure to intense sun and wind and limited moisture restricts the capacity for a large diversity of species. The result has been, in many cases, a standard, low-diversity mix of Sedum species often focused on ornament and minimizes the potential for wider environmental benefits. We reviewed the ecological literature on prairie and grassland communities with specific reference to habitat templates from stressed environmental conditions and examined analogs of prairie-based vegetation on twenty-one existing green roofs. We found that many, but not all prairie and grassland species will survive and thrive on green roofs, especially when irrigated as needed or given adequate growing medium depth. We raise several important questions about media, irrigation, temperature, biodiversity and their interactions needing more study.
... of Landscape Architecture / Regional and Community Planning (MLA 2007; lead designer) Dennis ... more ... of Landscape Architecture / Regional and Community Planning (MLA 2007; lead designer) Dennis Day (LAR), Stacy Hutchinson (BAE), Rhonda Janke (HORT ... That evening, Dennis Haag (Ecologist) offered examples of hownative plants and regionally-adapted ecosystems can ...
A discussion of how thermal and color‐infrared sensors can be used on a small unmanned aircraft s... more A discussion of how thermal and color‐infrared sensors can be used on a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) to provide aerial imagery and improve understanding of vegetation on larger green roofs.
The main goal of our research is to better understand how the green roof systems at Kansas State ... more The main goal of our research is to better understand how the green roof systems at Kansas State University (KSU) are functioning, and how we can apply this knowledge to maximize ecosystem services without wasting water. Understanding green roof function and substrate-water dynamics allows our research team to improve the design, implementation, and management of green roofs at KSU and in similar eco-regions.
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Papers by Lee R . Skabelund