We are all well aware of the many problems in greenery care that arise from understatement — mowing too often, or even the meme-famous „snow mowing,” bad mulching or incorrect tree planting. Greenery standards are intended to help deal with some of these.
"Standards for Maintaining Green Areas in Cities," created by the Sendzimir Foundation in cooperation with the Greenery Boards of Wrocław, Kraków and many other cities, is a document designed to help set correct standards and procedures in greenery maintenance. How can it be used?
The standards are available on the Sendzimir Foundation website
Łukasz Pawlik of the Board of Urban Greenery in Kraków, one of the creators of the document, talks about the idea behind the standards and their practical use
Wiktor Bochenek: How did the idea of creating greenery maintenance standards and its implementation come about?
Łukasz Pawlik (Board of Urban Greenery in Kraków): We all felt the need to have access to up-to-date knowledge on how to maintain green spaces. This approach is changing dramatically — there are new needs of residents, issues of adaptation to climate change, access to water or modern rainwater management.
A few years ago there was a project of intersectoral cooperation for greenery in Polish cities, implemented by the Sendzimir Foundation. We participated in it in the form of workshops and talked about how to solve problems with the development of green areas or take on new challenges to meet these changes.
Łukasz Pawlik — deputy director of the Board of Urban Greenery in Kraków
© Author's Archive
In all large cities, including Kraków, attention began to be paid to green areas, which was followed by money, including external money and organizational changes — then the Greenery Boards in Kraków and Warszawa were established.
Together with the Board of Urban Greenery in Wrocław, we undertook a project to create standards in cooperation with the Sendzimir Foundation and other greenery managers. They were created in an innovative way, as we involved greenery managers from thirty-five other cities in the process of their creation. This was done in the form of workshops, and the authors of the standards are experts in various fields.
In order to increase the quality of maintenance and adapt to new trends, we need to determine the right way to maintain them, and then write it down in such a form that it is clear to residents and employees of greenery maintenance companies in particular. This is important for us with contracts based on three-year contracts with the contractors we operate.
In Kraków, we have four park zones. Four contractors maintain parks in various four districts. We also have contracts to maintain nine green zones — that's green belts, squares or neighborhood greenery owned by the city. There are thirteen of these companies. We sign contracts with them for a period of three years. Previously, there was a standardization in place, which we created ourselves for the purpose of public procurement. Today there are new standards, more universal. The standards are also used by ZZM employees, because we maintain part of the green areas in Kraków with our own forces.
use of dead trees according to the standards
© Sendzimir Foundation
Wiktor: Thedocuments were divided into six parts. Why was this particular division introduced?
Łukasz: Let me start by saying that we wanted the standards to be understandable to professionals and non-professionals. They have two versions — detailed scopes and an abbreviated version in the form of a booklet, which explains all these issues in non-specialist language.
The idea was that each of these parts should thematically cover one consistent area related to the maintenance of green spaces. The first part is introductory, dealing with each of the other parts — vehicle markings, requirements for workers, equipment guidelines or inspection and acceptance of contracted work. These are the elements that apply to each type of work. Subsequent parts define in detail the next issues such as planting, maintenance, turfing or biodiversity.
composting standards
© Sendzimir Foundation
Wiktor: Thirty-five cities participated in the creation of the standards, and can cities that did not participate in the project benefit from the experience?
Łukasz: The standards are made available to everyone willing to use them under license. We tried to simplify it as much as possible. The license boils down to the fact that any city or city manager that applies to use these standards will be able to adopt them. There is a special form for this, located on the standards website. Once this paperwork is done, they can be used, with the proviso, of course, that they cannot be changed.
shaping trees in the gauge
© Sendzimir Foundation
Wiktor: How should these solutions be implemented? Which standards can be implemented immediately, and which require a longer period?
Łukasz: First of all, we can quickly implement the issues of standards from the first part — what requirements we have for the people and companies performing the tasks. An important and modern standard is the one on biodiversity. These two standards allow us to think already about the areas we have.
What standards are to be implemented also depends on the site. We have zones where we can, for example, shape biodiversity issues or aquatic habitats that are no longer attractive or amphibian-friendly due to poor use. We have issues of dead wood and leaving it in park spaces. These seem like simple things, but they are not at all obvious.
We need to change ourthinking about how our green spaces and their aesthetics function. A standard for planting is important — what to pay attention to, how to prepare the ground. He can be introduced very quickly, without prior preparation of resources.
mulching standards
© Sendzimir Foundation
On the other hand, where we have standards for landscaping, or a standard for turf, we have to prepare. We faced this in Kraków, it's resource knowledge. It is necessary to inventory green areas and designate different zones for which the appropriate intensity of maintenance will be adopted.
If we are the manager and have mapped what kind of lawns and facilities we have in the area, implementing this part of the standards will be easy. Zoning is fundamental when using the turf and maintenance standard. We designate zones where we want to maintain the greenery intensively or extensively. That's why we need to have knowledge of our area — it's a lot of work, because we're talking about several thousand hectares.
We live in a time where everyone knows everything, and it's very easy to participate in a public discussion. The element that triggered these discussions, among others, was the question of mowing intensity. Are we mowing too infrequently or too often, do we have enough meadows? Standards define what this should look like.
Where we have recreational areas, we have to mow intensively to make the turf suitable for recreation, picnics, events or outdoor games. There are places where we can afford to mow less frequently toward natural or flower meadows. In many places we transform lawns into meadows, it is enough to maintain the turf in a different way. Therefore, zoning is very important.
mowing intensity standards
© Sendzimir Foundation
Wiktor: You mentioned the issue of mowing, turf maintenance or the use of old trees. What else do the standards introduce?
Łukasz: For example, in planting and maintenance, we pay attention to many things that are often overlooked. When we mulch perennial beds, we have to remember not to mix the mulch with the topsoil, due to the fact that plants may have a problem with nitrogen deficiency, which is consumed during the decomposition of organic matter.
When planting trees, we point to natural ways to aerate the root zone. It is necessary to create conditions for this root system to grow deep and wide. Standards stipulate the use of natural materials instead of plastic.
It's also a matter of the mats we use for insulation when planting beds. We encourage you not to use plastic mats, instead choosing plant species and planting density so that weeds do not overgrow them. It is important to be aware that when using such mats, the plants you plant do not have a chance to grow and establish themselves properly. These are often simple rules of maintenance, but this knowledge in the standards is properly arranged and in a friendly, understandable way communicated.
The standards don't discover new things, but they organize existing knowledge. They also cover all the details that are important in maintenance. They even address issues of how to maintain the site after the work is completed — what the inspector is supposed to look for during acceptance. For contractors who are carrying out some work in the field, this is also helpful. That's why they describe the issues of expectations so extensively, which is important when organizing public contracts.
example of a simplified standards sheet
© Sendzimir Foundation
Wiktor:You described how these decisions affect attitudes and decisions. The question is, will they be updated? Will you look at them and see what needs to be changed or emphasized?
Łukasz:: We have been developing these standards for nearly a year, doing the best we can. We paid attention to details, diagrams, graphic form. We also realized that these standards may need to be supplemented or may contain some errors that need to be corrected. In addition to the form in which we declare our willingness to adopt the standards, there is also a special form to submit comments, which we are waiting for.
Times are changing, and we may need to refine a new chapter, or change or develop certain things, as our approach changes. Everything is developing dynamically, and perhaps in some time there will be a need to return to these standards and discuss changes together with other green space managers. This document should live.
example of a simplified standards sheet
© Sendzimir Foundation
Wiktor: If you had to briefly encourage institutions that are thinking about introducing such standards, how would you do it?
Łukasz: First of all, it is worth considering what challenges these institutions are facing. It's worth creating a risk map and analyzing areas where work is being done incorrectly. An example would be the common misguided approach to shrub care, which is sometimes neglected or improperly pruned. It is worth considering in which areas the manager, the owner of the site can assist with these standards. Their implementation should quickly bring results that are relevant to the needs of park users, nature, and ultimately also reduce the cost of greenery maintenance.
Wiktor: Thank you for the interview.
Thestandards are available on the Sendzimir Foundation website.
