MON-B05: From 10 to 110 Degrees: Designing/planning for Today's Climate Change

Monday, November 14, 2022

11:00am – 12:00pm PT

Location: Moscone Center, Room 303

1.00 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AICP, ISA, FL, NY/HSW

Lead Speaker(s)

Jennifer L. Orr, ASLA

Principal, PLA
Studio Balcones
Austin, Texas

Speaker(s)

John Hart Asher, II, ASLA

Senior Environmental Designer
Blackland Collaborative
Austin, Texas
Emily King, ISA Certified Arborist

Urban Forester
City of Austin
Austin, Texas

Texas weather has always been extreme, but with climate change, it is even more so. We expected increased heat/drought, but not 2021 Winter Storm Uri and the coldest temperatures on record. How did Central Texas plant communities respond? What can their response teach us about the complexities of designing/planning for climate change?

Learning Outcomes:

What designed landscapes survived various weather extremes, including the freeze, and why? How did Central Texas landscapes – including the Austin Urban Tree Canopy – weather the storm?
Discuss how focusing only on tree canopy can unintentionally lead us to neglect the herbaceous layer, which is very effective at capturing and storing carbon.
Discuss the silver lining of the winter storm/arctic wobbles that could act as a similar abiotic disruptor to woody encroachment of grasslands that fires and grazing provided historically.
Discuss best practices for designing/managing resilient and high functioning plant communities including the benefits of using only natives and the debates for more use of adapted species.