Duncan Ross completes project

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Duncan Ross completes project: Specialist sports turf contractor Duncan Ross has completed a multiple-pitch construction and drainage project as part of the £18.5 million Skirting Beck and Whangs Beck Flood Risk Management Scheme in Egremont on behalf of the Environment Agency who have completed this project’.

Formally opened on the 9th December 2022 by MP for Copeland, Trudy Harrison, the Environment Agency project scheme reduces the flood risk to properties in the area while improving sports surfaces and facilities for the local community.

Duncan Ross completes project

Duncan Ross completes project

Paul Robertshaw, Project Executive at the Environment Agency said:

“We are delighted that the £18.5 million flood scheme is now complete, reducing the flood risk to 220 properties, ahead of winter this year.

“The scheme not only better protects people and properties in the area from flooding but has created a better place for the community by providing, improved community amenities and an enhanced environment for wildlife to thrive.

“The help and cooperation of local residents, West Lakes Academy, the Falcon Club, schools and nurseries has helped this scheme and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support over the years.” 

VolkerStevin Ltd and the Environment Agency created a flood storage reservoir to intercept and attenuate flood water from Skirting Beck before it reached Egremont Town, causing flooding in periods of heavy rain.

The area chosen to create the flood storage reservoir and surface water control system was on a 2.7-hectare disused hard porous pitch and tennis courts attached to West Lakes Academy. During design works, Sport England stipulated that the site had to remain suitable for sports.

The flood storage reservoir is designed to retain flood water by the construction of a retaining wall around the outside of the site, with the beck then being choked at the outlet end and open at the inlet end.

The beck then flows into the flood storage reservoir/sports pitch area and is retained until other flood levels reduce.

Once the flood storage reservoir has drained down, it needs to again be suitable for sport. For this reason, Duncan Ross Ltd was employed under the design of the drainage system by professional design consultants PSD Ltd.

The upper 150mm thick surface was removed from the hard porous area and tarmac tennis courts and replaced by imported topsoil. A GPS grade control bulldozer graded the topsoil to create the exact gradients of the existing area so as not to decrease or increase the holding capacity of the flood storage reservoir.

A new drainage system was installed by our GPS guided 15/15 Mastenbroek trencher. The Environment Agency monitored all works to prevent any contamination to Skirting Beck.

The area was then sand ameliorated with a 50mm layer thickness of medium fine sand and seeded. Once the sward had established, the area had slit drains installed at 1m centres and all spoil was removed from site, the area was then top-dressed at 180 tonnes/hectare vertidrained and fertilised.

Some of the difficulties encountered were the sourcing of a suitable 6000 tonne topsoil to match as near as possible local soil, working within such a narrow access site, sourcing materials to Egremont, the weather and working on site during Covid and all that entailed.

One of the many positives was working with VolkerStevin staff on this project, who provided excellent leadership and whose attention to all health and safety matters was exemplary.

The works will be completed in May 2023.

On the project, MP Trudy Harrison said: “This is a milestone day for the Egremont community. This area has suffered the devastating impact of repeated flooding for many years, and this significant investment will now make a real difference to families and businesses locally.

“I’d like to thank the Environment Agency and all the partners for working together for the benefit of the community.”

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Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem

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Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem: Across the pond, 4B Landscape & Construction Inc are discovering the many benefits of Foamstream, having switched to the non-herbicidal weed-control solution in early 2022.

Previously using Glyphosate as their primary chemical control, CEO Jamie Berg and COO Gary Berg Jr explain how, since purchasing their L12 unit from Weedingtech, they’re piquing the interest of many new commercial customers with the alternative that saves labor hours and tackles weeds in a way that’s safer for operator and the planet.

Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem

Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem

Established in 2013, 4B Landscape & Construction Inc are a full-scale landscape design, installation and maintenance company servicing both residential and commercial clients in the Greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas. “When it came to weed control, our initial approach of glyphosate and supplementary hand weeding wasn’t proving effective for three reasons. Firstly, and mainly, is the overall adverse health concerns to humans and the environment. Next, we found weed crops were becoming glyphosate tolerant leading to an increase in treatments. Finally, hand weeding was just simply inefficient and labor intensive, and didn’t give us lasting results” explains Gary.

When exploring alternatives, Gary came across Foamstream on social media and later found that one of their local vendors was an approved distributor. Foamstream kills unwanted vegetation, including weeds, moss and algae, using the precise application of hot water insulated by a specially formulated biodegradable and organic foam. It is delivered by Weedingtech’s range of patented machinery range – an L12 unit purchased by Gary is now coming to the end of its first year of service.

“Not only is Foamstream a healthy herbicide-free option for people and the environment, it gives us instant knockdown results. Compared to hand-weeding, it equates to a 25% labor saving on each site which is in the region of 90 hours saved over the span of the season. Because it treats the spores and seeds as well as the weed, Foamstream has decreased our annual treatments from seven to three or four.” He continues, “It has also eliminated costly overspray or leaching repairs and expanded our potential for treatment throughout the year instead of being limited by suitable weather windows.”

“Additionally, the community perception of the system being herbicide-free helps us stand-out among the competition. Our customers appreciate the multiple benefits it has to their friends, family, pets and the environment and this has undoubtably seen us win more business in both the domestic and commercial markets.”

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Intensive Robot Training for STIGA dealerships

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Intensive Robot Training for STIGA dealerships: STIGA dealers have been treated to extensive training and offered integral insights on the STIGA autonomous robot mowers.

The 210 staff from 130 UK dealerships were given a detailed introduction to the installation and working principle of the new autonomous robot range. The 21 dates throughout January February and March, reached full capacity due to the anticipation and excitement felt about these new machines from our mowing dealer colleagues. The training consisted of introductory presentations and practical outdoor training sessions providing our partners with all the information to become expert robot dealers.

Intensive Robot Training for STIGA dealerships

Intensive Robot Training for STIGA dealerships

The venues chosen were across the country and included Coventry, Edinburgh, Plymouth and Chepstow, and once each was session was completed, dealers obtained a certificate after taking a test.

In preparation for the STIGA robot launch this month, dealers were trained in all aspects of these innovative machines, including in the points below:

Cable-free

STIGA autonomous robot lawn mowers navigate without needing a wire. The installation is fully virtual and done via the STIGA.GO App. The new robot mowers work collecting information from satellites signals, both GPS and all other GNSS systems, to know their positions and navigate around the garden.

Intelligent mowing plan

STIGA AGS technology allows this robot to plan mowing sessions according to satellite signal availability, to mow with precision and accuracy. Knowing the satellites’ positioning in advance, the autonomous robot mower plans ahead each mowing session in each area. All zones in the lawn are mown regularly and accurately, leaving no zone uncut and avoiding over-mowing by passing several times in the same area. The result is an even, beautiful lawn.

Better battery technology

Well-positioned to grant a perfect balance, the ePower integrated battery capacity allows the autonomous robot to care for the lawn in as little as 2 mowing cycles a day. Even after 4 years of use the battery still operates at over 80% of its capacity.

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Green-tech Specifier launch Urban Tree Planting Cell System

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Green-tech Specifier launch Urban Tree Planting Cell System: At 10am this morning (Tuesday 7th March) Green-tech Specifier launched their new urban tree planting cell system – TreeParker®, at the FutureBuild 2023 exhibition.

TreeParker® is a versatile urban tree planting cell system from TreeBuilders, a manufacturer of innovative tree planting systems, and will be distributed in the UK exclusively by Green-tech.

Green-tech Specifier launch Urban Tree Planting Cell System

Green-tech Specifier launch Urban Tree Planting Cell System

Speaking on behalf of Green-tech, Business Development Director Mark Wood comments, “I am delighted to announce that we have expanded our urban tree planting offering with the addition of TreeParker® – a modular structural soil cell system for planting trees in city centres and other urban environments. Our corporate vision and values are aligned with TreeBuilders and our collaborative approach to this joint venture is exciting for the industry.  The TreeParker® cellular system offers superior functionality and is a smart combination of Green, Grey and Blue. The system has already proven itself in numerous projects throughout Europe and the Middle East, so I am thrilled that its addition completes the urban tree portfolio for Green-tech Specifier, making this a unique offering to the UK market with a full product offering to satisfy any urban tree planting need.”

TreeParker® has been developed from extensive trials, projects and feedback from landscape architects, clients, contractors, and nurseries to provide the most cost-effective, fit-for-purpose solution for growing large trees in urban environments.

The system provides optimum rooting space below pavements subjected to heavy traffic loads. It maximises the space available for the growing media and is in contact with surrounding soil to ensure a natural growth environment.

Through a simple and smart design, the TreeParker® system can be installed into any tree planting space. It is easy to customise a tree pit design to meet individual needs, working just like a LEGO system. Each independent unit has sufficient load-bearing capacity, so units do not need to be linked. The load is transferred from the pavement to underlying foundations via the system and avoids soil compaction to ensure optimum root growth.

The TreeParker® system can accommodate variable heights between 400mm and 1500mm. Its top 10 benefits include:

  1. Support heavy traffic loads (up to 550 kPa and an axle load of up to 15 tonnes) whilst maintaining pavement integrity.
  2. Providing unhindered root growth for large species of trees.
  3. Quick and cost-effective installation and is easy to fill with soil.
  4. Made from 100% recyclable, long-lasting and inert plastics.
  5. Modular system for design flexibility.
  6. It can be installed in curves down to a 5m radius without additional products.
  7. Utility friendly – the open structure is easily adjusted on site to accommodate new and existing utilities and provides easy access for utility maintenance and repair.
  8. Combines stormwater management and root growth, up to 25% of the volume is available for water infiltration.
  9. Up to 95% volume available for soil infill.
  10. Withstands vertical and lateral loads.

Elco van Uden, Managing Director from manufacturer TreeBuilders, adds, “I am delighted to be working with Green-tech to bring TreeParker® to the UK market. Our two companies share a similar philosophy and are closely aligned in the way we do business and our passion for innovation and offering customers a robust and flexible solution to urban tree planting challenges.”

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Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

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Deep aeration at Bricket Wood: When St Stephen Parish Council had a waterlogging problem with their playing field at Bricket Wood, St Alban’s, they brought in Terrain Aeration. Normal aeration had little or no effect across the field and there was also a wet patch at the entrance.

Following a site visit, work began on the eight thousand seven hundred and twenty-six square metre area. The ground was found to be too boggy for Terrain Aeration to use their usual Super Scamper Terralift machine, so they used their Tracker Terralift. This was able to move around the site without slipping and sliding on the wet ground. The machine works on the same principle with a JCB hammer driving a probe to a depth of one metre. Compressed air is injected which fractures the soil, creating fissures to allow the water to drain and air to get to the grass roots. The process is repeated at two metre intervals on a grid system so the fissures interlink. As the probe withdraws, dried seaweed is injected which expands and contracts and helps keep the ground ‘open’.

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

Deep aeration at Bricket Wood

“Several members of staff came along to observe,” says St Stephen’s Senior Groundsman Matthew Huddleston. “It’s a fascinating process. When the air is released, you can visibly see the ground move. What we didn’t know, until the metre-deep probe discovered one, is there are drainage pipes under the field. Water started to come up to the surface, so we needed to investigate further.”

Matthew used an excavator and found clogged drains which were unblocked. Water was then gushing down the drainage pipes. Terrain Aeration carried on aerating the whole site and the field showed immediate signs of improvement.

“We are all very pleased with the results, especially now the drains are running,” says Matthew. “We’re now considering having Terrain Aeration deep aerate some of our other sports pitches.”

Terrain Aeration www.terrainaeration.co.uk  01449 673783

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