GARDEN MASTERCLASS 2025
The art of choosing the right tree for place and function, using different urban case studies
Monastero di Astino, Bergamo - 17 settembre
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EVENTO IN LINGUA INGLESE
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Selecting plants for place and function is becoming an increasingly complex and multifaceted endeavour where many different aspects must be included to create beautiful and sustainable plantings.
In this workshop we will develop the language necessary to select the right tree for the right place and function.
This will be developed by discussing the use of trees in some typical urban situations where we want to create beautiful and recreational environments while other functions such as climate mitigation, storm water management, pollution relief, biodiversity etc., also needs to be included.
Challenges such as a future climate must also be included, which together means that we must develop site-specific and multifunctional plantings, which places high demands on what plant material we must use.
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La selezione delle piante in base al contesto e alla funzione sta diventando un processo sempre più complesso e articolato, che richiede di considerare numerosi fattori per realizzare piantagioni esteticamente armoniose e sostenibili.
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In questo workshop acquisiremo le competenze necessarie per scegliere l'albero più adatto in base al luogo e alla sua funzione. Affronteremo il tema dell'impiego degli alberi in diversi scenari urbani, con l'obiettivo di creare spazi piacevoli e ricreativi, ma anche di rispondere a esigenze fondamentali come la mitigazione climatica, la gestione delle acque meteoriche, la riduzione dell'inquinamento e il potenziamento della biodiversità.
Inoltre, sarà fondamentale considerare le sfide legate ai cambiamenti climatici futuri, sviluppando piantumazioni multifunzionali e site-specific, con elevati requisiti nella scelta del materiale vegetale.​
Henrik Sjöman
Associate Professor at Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Scientific Curator at
Gothenburg Botanic Garden, and Honoree Research Associate at Royal Botanic Garden Kew.
Henrik´s work is focused on developing knowledge of plant-use for urban environments. His work is mainly focusing on developing knowledge of site adapted plant use for urban
environments. How the capacity of different trees and shrubs will vary in context to its urban environment and in delivering ecosystem services has become the prime driver in my work and as such how to extend the knowledge of diversifying the urban treescape in a future climate.
This involves evaluations on plants in their natural habitats, botanic collections and
within the cityscape. This holistic approach to plant selection research helps to develop
evidence and guidance on plant use within the urban environment. In addition to numerous academic papers, Henrik has co-authored Träd i Urbana Landskap (Trees in the Urban Landscape [In Swedish]) (Sjöman and Slagstedt, 2015); the professional guidance Tree Selection for Green Infrastructure (Hirons and Sjöman, 2019) and The Essential Tree Selection Guide (Sjöman and Anderson, 2023).
Henrik is a trained landscape architect and has in parallel with his research also been involved in several major projects in the development of public green spaces, where his expertise in selecting the right plant for location and function has been invaluable.