Condo Media - March 2011 - 38

LANDSCAPING

by Richard Churchill

Technology in the Landscape
A Look Beyond Traditional Maintenance
echnology isn’t a term often associated with landscaping. Most often, one thinks of hard work and physical labor when considering the landscape, however, much technology is afoot and here’s a quick overview of a small portion of what is really happening.

Sand and Salt
Snow is a serious business and one that the technologists have been busy addressing. Regulators and the general public are finally now beginning to understand that sand is not a good thing to put down in the winter. New England was one of the last strongholds in the country for using sand for traction. Most specifications now are calling for salt, coated salt and liquid de-icers as a means of fighting snow pack and ice. Road salt in itself is a great product

for eliminating ice — as long as the temperature is above 20 degrees. Now along come the technologists who have managed to get the effectiveness of salt well below zero by coating the road salt with a product to enhance the melting properties of the salt. Magic Salt was one of the first products to do this by mixing a patented formula of magnesium chloride and distillers waste with road salt. Now there are several products that combine brewers waste and calcium chloride or magnesium chloride with road salt. The work developing liquid de-icers has been pretty interesting and led mostly by transportation departments of various states (Iowa being predominant). A large body of work is now available that talks to temperature, product base (magnesium chloride or calcium chloride), existing snow condi-

tions, speed of the dispensing vehicle, etc. Trucks with liquid tanks and dispensing systems, which are calibrated to dispense the precise amount of product for the most effective ice melting, are now available. These systems are not just for the huge trucks you see on the Mass Pike, but are now more commonly available for heavy-duty pickup sizes. Current systems employ GPS technology to determine road speed and open/close valves to dispense the desired volume of product. Companies using these systems are learning more and more each year about how to deliver an ice free road surface in almost any wintery condition. The downside of liquid de-icers and coated salt is the expense. An old technology is being developed into a new technology called brining. A liquid salt brine is manufactured and sprayed onto the road and it melts the ice faster and with better results than salt granules. Again, as with road salt, temperature is a problem unless you enhance the brine with a magnesium chloride or calcium chloride additive. There is a body of research being developed each year that is zeroing in on the most effective solution and concentration of brine components. I would expect more widespread use of brines in the next five years to reduce costs while providing a safer end product.

Snow Removal Options
Condominium site designs are becoming denser and not particularly friendly for snowplows (I think most of the architects must have grown up in Florida or Arizona). There just isn’t any space to put the snow. Ten years ago, no one had heard of a contain-

(left) Road Salt, (right) Magic Salt.

CONDO MEDIA • MARCH 2011

Condo Media - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - March 2011