Focus week 1-Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop walkway Kew Garden

Marks Barfield Architects have designed a 18-metre-high walkway through the canopies of sweet chestnut, lime and deciduous oak trees in Kew Royal Botanical Garden The 400-tonne steel structure was designed to blend in without harming its sensitive environment.The walkway aims to give an insight into the ecology of trees from the roots to the canopy. Visitors enter the “Rhizotron” first, a large crack in the ground leading to a semi-submerged concrete structure with a viewing area showing underground root structures. From the Rhizotron, a lift and stairs lead to the “Xstrata Tree Top Walkway”.
i think the walkway it gives a very manmade material quite a natural feel.”

Focus week 1-Organic Waste Management Kew Garden

Talk to the Manager of Horticultural Support at Kew garden it help me to understand how the wildlife,waste can be managed.
Kew Garden produces over 100 tonnes of waste plant materials every week. As part of Kew’s commitment to practise sustainable horticulture, they recycle 99% of their organic waste. The method used to manage the organic waste is known as Composting.
The Advantages is Compost adds more nutrients to the soil, to reduce the use of artificial fertilizers, Improves the soils structure so plants grows better and healthy, therefore making them resistant to pest and diseases and Compost can be used as mulch on soil surfaces to help retain water,Helps to reduce the amount of weeds present.

How compost is made?
The woody trees and shrubs from felled tree branches materials are screened and shredded into wood chips
Herbaceous plant materials (leaves & grass clipping) are only shredding.
The wood chips are mixed on a ratio of 4:1 with the fresh stable manure, while the shredder herbaceous material is mixed on an equal ratio to the manure.
These heaps are watered with stored rain water and turned regularly to maintain a low temperature. David Barnes said sometimes the temperature of the heaps can rise up to 850C that is high enough to set itself ablaze but the best temperature for the compost process is at 55oC. Therefore allowing micro-organism (bacteria and fungi) to break down the plant materials. The compost process takes about 10 – 12 weeks before it’s been taken back to the garden to be reused as mulch

I believe the waste management at Kew is very effective, and I have learnt so much about waste management