Constellation...
Point Pleasant Park, already the centre of Halifax Harbour and the region, can be made even more of a landmark as its' new open views allow those offshore to look in, and those in the park to look out from a constellation of vantage points. Navigators who journey by sea, land and air can use the park as a way-finding feature just as they have traditionally used the stars. Beams illuminate the military sites at night, making beacons out of these heritage features, a reminder to those who approach from the sea or land and those who fly above it of the rich history of this place. Renewing the familiar trail system through a constellation of heritage sites, a diversity of regenerated forests, meadows and seaside amenities reconnects people to both nature and culture, restoring the importance of the park in the city.
Reconnect --
This plan proposes to improve access to Point Pleasant Park by alternative transportation modes including pedestrian and bicycle through direct connections with existing and proposed city trails and bikeways. The program includes reconnecting bicycle and pedestrian users to the south with an ‘Aquabus' ferry service crossing the Northwest Arm.
Regenerate –
Forest Progression Program
Planning for the next hurricane....
Using a well established map layering technique, this plan combines the site characteristics given in the technical reports to determine appropriate areas for a variety of vegetative ecotypes. With the goals of sustainability and diversity in mind, we propose to leave the existing forest as it is, regenerate the typical spruce forest in some locations, increase the amount of Acadian mixed forest areas and even to restore some of the pine forest in the areas most subject to hurricane winds. This plan employs a mixture of meadows and pioneer and successional forest to complement the existing climax forest stands and to offer diversity and resilience over the course of generations to come.
On Site Nursery
The nursery is planned to raise red spruce for forest regeneration over time. Advantages of this program include greater transplanting success as saplings from an in situ nursery are more adapted to site conditions, and better management decisions as the nursery is under close supervision by park staff. The nursery also offers a tremendous quantity of seedlings and saplings for different phases of park management. Irrigation provided by ponds on site.
Phase 1 - seedlings being raised in dense plantings until ready for thinning, approximately 2 years.
Phase 2 - transplanting of a percentage of saplings to forest regeneration areas requiring most immediate help, approximately 4 years.
Phase 3 - thinning would be for filling in areas where natural regeneration has not been successful. This stage would leave behind an orderly legion of spruce trees resembling a bosque and reflecting the transition between the built and the natural, the city and the forest. Approximately 4 years.
(Environmental Design)
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