Hannah Brown
Université de Montréal
Danielle Dagenais, École d’urbanisme et d’architecture de paysage – Université de Montréal; Jacques Brisson, Département de sciences biologiques – Université de Montréal
hannah.brown@umontreal.ca mail_outlineInterests and Expertise
urban forest, tree health and mortality, deicing salts, salinity, stormwater management, runoffShort description of Project
Stormwater tree pits (STP) are a form of green infrastructure that can improve a city’s climate and flood resilience while easily integrating into the existing built environment. However, few studies have examined how trees planted therein are impacted by road de-icing salts, which are heavily used in cold northern climates and result in elevated runoff salinity throughout the winter and spring. This research investigates the impacts of saline runoff on the growth and health of urban trees, with a particular focus on inter-species variation in resilience.
This three-year study is composed of a field experiment, testing 2 tree species in 18 STP, and a microcosm experiment, testing 12 species in 288 pots, located in Montreal, Quebec. Treatment will occur winter and spring of 2024 and 2025, with the STP receiving street runoff all year round, only in summer, or not at all, and the pots receiving three different concentrations of saline water. Indicators of tree health and growth, such as trunk diameter, crown vigor, and photosynthetic rate, will be monitored to detect or predict current and future decline.
Short description of internship with partner
I will be completing an internship with the borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, in Montreal, in the Summer and Fall of 2024. In this internship I will conduct a before-and-after monitoring project to determine the ability of newly installed green stormwater infrastructure, “saillies drainantes”, to reduce runoff into the sewer system.