Landscape Design Sustainable and Ecological Landscape Design 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is xeriscaping as a landscape design approach?
- Water-efficient landscaping using drought-tolerant plants and smart irrigation practices (Correct answer)
- Removing all plants from a landscape to save water
- Landscaping exclusively with gravel and rock
- Irrigation using recycled or reclaimed water only
Correct answer: Water-efficient landscaping using drought-tolerant plants and smart irrigation practices
Xeriscaping is a holistic approach to low-water landscaping using seven principles: planning, soil improvement, practical turf, appropriate plants, efficient irrigation, mulching, and maintenance.
Question 2: What is greywater reuse in a sustainable landscape context?
- Using household sink, shower, or laundry water for landscape irrigation (Correct answer)
- Collecting and using rainwater from rooftops
- Recycling pool water for garden irrigation
- Using reclaimed municipal wastewater
Correct answer: Using household sink, shower, or laundry water for landscape irrigation
Greywater is lightly used household water from sinks, showers, and laundry that can legally be redirected to landscape irrigation in many US states.
Question 3: What is the primary environmental benefit of permeable pavement versus traditional impervious pavement?
- Reduces stormwater runoff and recharges groundwater (Correct answer)
- Eliminates the need for drainage infrastructure
- Prevents weed growth in pavement joints
- Reflects more heat than traditional asphalt
Correct answer: Reduces stormwater runoff and recharges groundwater
Permeable pavement allows rainfall to pass through into the soil, reducing the volume and velocity of stormwater runoff and replenishing local groundwater supplies.
Question 4: What is a green roof or vegetated roof and what environmental benefits does it provide?
- Rooftop covered with growing medium and plants; reduces runoff, insulates building, and reduces heat island effect (Correct answer)
- Solar panel system combined with rooftop irrigation
- Green-colored roofing material for heat reflection
- Rooftop greenhouse for food production
Correct answer: Rooftop covered with growing medium and plants; reduces runoff, insulates building, and reduces heat island effect
A green roof supports a layer of growing medium and vegetation on a waterproofed roof structure, capturing rainfall, insulating the building, and reducing urban heat island temperatures.
Question 5: What does carbon sequestration mean in the context of landscape planting?
- Plants absorbing and storing atmospheric CO2 in their biomass and soil (Correct answer)
- Reducing carbon emissions from landscape maintenance equipment
- Using carbon-rich compost to improve soil
- Planting trees to offset carbon credits
Correct answer: Plants absorbing and storing atmospheric CO2 in their biomass and soil
Carbon sequestration is the process by which plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store it as organic carbon in plant tissue and soil, reducing atmospheric CO2.
Question 6: What is a conservation easement that may affect landscape design on a property?
- A legal agreement restricting land development to protect natural resources (Correct answer)
- An easement allowing utility companies to access property
- A setback requirement for conservation buffers
- A tax incentive for native plant installation
Correct answer: A legal agreement restricting land development to protect natural resources
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently restricts development and certain land uses to protect conservation values.
Landscape Design Sustainable and Ecological Landscape Design 2
What is xeriscaping as a landscape design approach?