EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN: ECOLOGY, PEOPLE, AND TIME 33rd Annual Landscape Symposium

Landscape desingers who successfully employ an ecology-based approach typically draw from a variety of sources. The inextricable link between people and ecology only increases the need to broaden the investigative lens. Join us as we explore the integration of “ecology-based” design with “people-based” factors, including the lingering effects of historic land use and the need to accommodate diverse cultural perspectives on the meaning of “ecology”.

Module 1:  Ecological Systems Include People

Eastern Grasslands
Dwayne Estes, PhD
Ecologists have long considered the Eastern United States as a naturally forested region due to its levels of
precipitation. This viewpoint, however, disregards the historic presence of extensive grasslands that resulted
from the activities of humans and native grazers. While mostly lost, some of these grasslands persist today due to deliberate and accidental human activity. Through a series of case studies, grassland expert Dwayne Estes will show how the study of human interactions with the landscape, past and present, can inform the design, restoration, and re-creation of native grasslands.

Forested Landscapes
Daniela Shebitz, PhD
In this presentation, Daniela Shebitz will share her insight and experience as a forest ecologist and ethnobotanist.  She will discuss how to look for indicator species and environmental cues that give insight into the past landscape and how these cues can inform the work of restoring native plant assemblages. Daniela will also discuss her work reconstructing historical landscapes based on past land management, including agriculture,
logging, and burning.