DeepRoot – High-end Ecosystem Services

Our mission is to create a more livable built environment, providing a high level of ecosystem services, by using green infrastructure like trees, soil, and on-site stormwater management.

PLANT A BIG IDEA. WATCH IT CHANGE A CITY.

DeepRoot Green Infrastructure develops solutions to enhance urban forests and surrounding watersheds along streets, parking lots, plazas, and other urban areas.

We were founded in 1976, when an industrial designer tripped on an uprooted sidewalk and ruined a new pair of shoes. This led him to develop the first commercially available tree root barriers. From that simple start, we grew to a leading urban landscape products and ecosystem services supplier, focused on creating healthier, more sustainable communities through the integration of trees, soil, and stormwater into the urban environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKiy6PB48GI

Silva Cell

The Silva Cell is a patented modular suspended pavement system that holds unlimited amounts of lightly compacted soil while supporting traffic loads beneath paving. That soil serves two important functions: growing large trees and treating stormwater onsite.

Interception and Evapotranspiration: Large trees intercept and evapotranspire significantly more rain than small trees. For example, a healthy 40 year old Hackberry tree is estimated to provide 14 times as much interception as a 10 year old Hackberry (McPherson et al 2006).

Long-Term Infiltration: As roots grow and then decay, they leave open channels in the soil that restore and/or enhance porosity and infiltration rates. Several studies have found a significant increase in saturated hydraulic conductivity in bioretention with plants as compared to those without (e.g. Lucas and Greenway 2011).

Water Quality Benefits: Vegetation is crucial to many water quality benefits, including removal or sequestration of dissolved nutrients, hydrocarbons, and Total Suspended Solids (TSS).

Plants also slow water flow, allowing more time for sedimentation to occur (Hunt et al 2012).
Silva Cells can be used on almost any type of site, including:
– Streets
– Plazas
– Parking areas
– Green roofs/on-structure
– “Break-out” zones

Case study: New Ludgate

A single tree was installed at 60 Ludgate Hill in 17 cubic meters of soil contained in over 60 Silva Cells.

Designer: Gustafson Porter
Contractor: Skanska
See New Ludgate project on Landezine

Case study: Lincoln Road by Raymond Jungles Landscape Architecture

10 trees were installed at Lincoln Road Mall in 11 cubic meters of soil contained in over 860 Silva Cells.

Designer: Raymond Jungles Landscape Architecture

DeepRoot Support

We provide technical reviews, pre-installation training, and on-site visits at no cost. We also provide a comprehensive Operations and Maintenance Manual for the Silva Cell as well as other resources.

The Silva Cell is a modular suspended pavement system that uses soil volumes to support large tree growth and provide powerful on-site stormwater management through absorption, evapotranspiration, and interception.

USA
DeepRoot Green Infrastructure, LLC
101 Montgomery Street, Suite 2850, San Francisco, CA 94104
info@deeproot.com
Tel: 415 781 9700
Fax: 415 781 0191

United Kingdom
DeepRoot Urban Solutions, Ltd.
43-45 Portman Square, London W1H6HN
Steve@deeproot.com
Tel: +44 207 969 2739
Fax: +44 207 969 2800

Canada
Deep Root Canada Corp.
Suite 341 – 550 West Broadway Vancouver, BC V5Z 0E9
mjames@deeproot.com
Tel: 604 687 0889
Fax: 604 684 6744

Published on October 20, 2017