Report of the working group vegetation & plantmaterial (material and
construction)
(Meeting Larenstein -- Velp, The Netherlands-- 25-28 March 2004)
Participants
Prof. Dr. Ana-Felicia Iliescu represented by Mescu Cristina Rodica
Department University of Agronomical Sciences
and Veterinary Medicine
Landscape Address 59,
Marasti Blvd.
71331 Bucharest
Romania
afiliescu@hotmail.com
Maija Müller
University of Applied Sciences Nürtingen
Department for Landscape Architecture, Environmental and Ur ;
Address; Schelmenwasen 4-8
72644 Nürtingen
Germany
muellerma@fh-nuertingen.de
Arie Koster
University of professional Education
P.O. Box 9001
6880 GB Velp
The Netherlands
a.koster@larenstein.nl
(Jeroen de Vries
University of professional Education
P.O. Box 9001
6880 GB Velp
The Netherlands
J.devries@larenstein.nl)
Prof. Gert Bischoff (material and construction)
University of Applied Sciences
Leiziger Strasse 77
D-99085 Erfurt
0361 67 00-259
bischoff@la.fh-erfurt.de
Discussed Issues
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Glossary.
Clustering of the course Units.
Indication of the course units’ competences.
Indication of European Issues relevant to the working group’s themes.
Continuation of the working group’s activities.
1 Glossary
Everybody choose 100 glossary terms from Le Notre’s database related to vegetation and
planting design.
There is a difference between the glossary as a characterisation of aspects of vegetation and
plant material and the glossary used as keyword access to literature. In the first case a glossary
of 150 to 200 terms may be enough; in the second case much more terms are necessary. Most
of these terms, however, are common with the other working groups and are part of the total
glossary (keyword glossary). So the glossary related to the working groups are much to long;
related to the future literature database to short
2 Clustering of the course units & an indication of specific competences
The course unit database consist of about 160 entries. The names of the course units related to the
same themes are quite different. Many course units have a mix mod, and of many others too much
information is missing for adequate assessment. Because a lack of time the working group could
only indicate a clustering of course units by harmonizing or modified the names, that enables the
working group to sort, classify, or cluster, resulting in 20-25 course units’ clusters. See attachment
Because not every course unit was significant to the working group’s themes, ten course units
have been selected.
Arboriculture/Tree management
In relation to habitat demands Arboriculture is strongly related to planting design, landscape
design and landscape planning at any rate in the course units of Larenstein, still missing in le
Notre database. In this context Arboriculture is a strongly multidisciplinary issue, and
demands teamwork skill
Indication specific competences:
 knowledge of woody plants’habitat requirements
 knowledge of the use of woody plants
 knowledge of specific maintenance issues
 the ability to indentify the most used woody plants
Botany --- Strongly related to plant material, and plant material to application, further more with
taxonomical aspects of Dendrology. Some aspects of botany demands research skills
Indication specific competences
 broad knowledge of taxonomy
 knowledg of morphology and the skill of using that to indentify plant species
 broad knowledge of plant anatomy in relationship with plant physiology
 the ability to recognize plant species
Dendrology --- Dendrology is often related to taxonomy, but in the frame work of Universities of
professional education more to plant material and application
Indication specific competences:
 the ability to identify woody plants
 broad knowledge of ecological qualities/relations
 knowledge of specific esthetic features/qualities
 knowledge of the indigenous species
Ecology --- Ecology is related to geobotany, landscape ecology, urban ecology, aut- and
syn.ecology
Indication specific competences
 broad knowledge of ecosystems
 knowlegde of the concept biodiversity
 abiotic and biotic factors
 broad knowledg of human ecology
 the ability to use this knowlegde for planting design, landscape planning/design and
maintenance and management
Geobotany --- Is related to ecology and the main theme of this working group: vegetation. It
demonstrates the difficulties of clustering. Focused on these theme: vegetation is to consider
as geobatany in a syntaxonomical way as well as vegetation as landscape element seen from
the viewpoint of planting- and landscape design. Moreover the term vegetation in the
framework of landscape architecture goes far beyond the borders of geobotanical and
syntaxonomical concepts: it often means the green environment. So in broad sense the theme
of the working group Vegetation and Plant material have strong links to the themes of the
other working groups. This may have consequences for linking disciplines/course unit to the
competences. In relation to the Le Notre’s themes Geobotany is a tool for research landscape
design and landscape planning as well as landscape management/maintence. In this fram work
research skills are important.
Indication specific competences
 the ability to intepret abiotic and biotic factors to application and management of
plants and vegetation.
 the ability to recognize features of plant communities and to relate these to abiotic and
landscape ecological aspects
Maintenance --- . Is strongly related to management. On the level of universities of professional
education is often more management and maintenance; in the new structure of
compentative learning it may be more linkt with research
Indication specific competences
 the ability and knowledge to maintain plants and vegetation in strong relationship with
specific ecological, easthetic, and user’s objectives and demands.
 the ability make quality in the most ecomomic resposible way.
Nursery/plant production --- related to plant material and the demands of planting design
Indication specific competences
 knowledge of plant production, -breeding and –maintaining.
 Broad knowlegde of ecological responsible plant production
 Knowledge of international guidelines concerning nomenclature, breeders, right and
trade name rights
Planting design --- related to plant material/application and landscape design
Indication specific competences
 the ability to interpret and translate people’s need and wishes to planting and
vegetation structures.
 having drawing skills, digital drawing skills.
 the ability to use digital design programmes.
 a broad knowledge of plant material including morphology and growing conditions.
 the ability to use ecological and geobotanical knowledge.
 the ability to anticipate future landscape development and management.
Roof planting --- Much more schools are involved in this theme for example: Larenstein,
Waedenswil, Sheffield etc. in this framework the CourseUnit Roof planting is related to
vegetation, plant material, landscape and planting design, material and construction
Indication specific competences
 knowledge of habitat creation on artificial substrates on roofs and their technical
implications
 specific knowledge of species, and vegetation’s demands
 specific knowledge of roofgarden’s maintenance methods and technics.
 basic knowledge of legal rules concerning roofgarden construction, use of material
and roofgarden maintenance.
Soil-bioengeneering/habitat creation --- In English habitat creation is more common; Soilbioengeneering is to see as a part of habitat creation
Indication specific competences
 knowlegde of soil and water charateristics
 knowledge nature development
 knowledge of using plants for solving problems like erosion
 knowlegde of functional relations between soils/water and vegetation
 knowlegde of anthropogenic impact on soils and water
 furthermore knowledge of the use of hard materials to encourage nature development.
 Specific knowledge of soil manipulation in relationship with nature development
3 Indication of the course units’ competences.
In an impossible short time the working group had to link the competences with the Course Units.
Because this short time, these links are not more than a first, rough indication. For a refining of
this work, more time and better definitions of the course units as well as the competences are
necessary. For the preliminary results we refer to excel attachment.
We have to realize that all this course units should have levels of university education. Most
students how have complete their education will works in multidisciplinary teams or
circumstances. For example maintenance on the level of an university education program is much
more the technical and ecological aspects of mowing grass. It often involves the organisation of
the specific maintenance in relationship with different objectives. Every Course Unit is part of a
multidisciplinary network and especially as graduate it is necessary to be able to link all
disciplines of the Course Units to the other parts or fields of the professional area
Capacity for analysis and synthesis is strongly linked with research skills. So these to competences
have to be clustered. Concering reseachs skills the question is: what kind of research skills. The
are many ways of research: literature, designing, interviews etc.Depending on the situation every
Course Units can be linked to research skills
4 Indication of European Issues relevant to the working group’s themes.
In the plenary meeting the most important remark was made by Catherine Ward-Thomson, free
translated: “we can deliver the professional who realize the objectives of the European Union”. In
other words: what can European landscape architecture including The thematic Network of Le
Notre means to the objectives of the European Union.
In general Vegetation and Plant material are the basic components of landscape architecture,
landscape design and many neighbouring disciplines. For a proper indication we have to link the
working group themes with the overarching disciplines like landscape design, environmental
psychology, water management and so on. On the other hand vegetation can be an overarching
concept to for example for wetlands, woodlands, the moors. In this way nearly al the European
issues are related to vegetation and plant material, but mainly in an indirect way. A quick scan is
made of the closed related European issues. See Attachment
5 Continuation of the working group’s activities
Everybody choose 100 glossary terms from Le Notre’s database related to vegetation and
planting design.
The main concern of the working group is the incompleteness of the Course Units’ database. The
working group coordinator have to ask and to encourage the members to supply the missing dates
including the ECTS in the le Notre database or send this to the coordinator by direct e-mail.
Examples of good entries (Sheffield ?, Larenstein?) will be sent to members who did not fill in the
database.
The coordinator will refine the review of the Course Units and sent the results to the other
members to reviewing about halve August. During the ECLAS Conference this task have to
evaluate and maybe to complete.
Members are also asked to contribute to the matrix of competences. See Attachment.
This report will be sent to the steering committee and all the members of the working group
vegetation and plant material.