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16 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2014 | COMMUNITy NEWS "Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as (ice- capped) mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of land use, buildings and structures, and transitory elements such as lighting and weather conditions," thus sayeth Wikipedia who has replaced Webster in the 21st century. Changes to the landscape affect all elements in the area of land from minor to major degrees. New homeowners will see their plant life change as new buildings alter airflow patterns, trees increase in size and limit sunshine, and hardscape alters drainage patterns. The Landscape Committee is continuously assessing the effects of these micro-climate changes on our plants. Some changes may seem minor but could have major effects — just as in humans when our diet is altered by medication, diet, or location. For instance, roses require five to six hours of sunlight daily, preferably in the morning allowing them to dry off early from dew or sprinkled irrigation. A new object may reduce this sunshine time frame and decrease growth, blooming or health of the plant. Changes need not be adjacent to a plant to impact health. Airflow patterns can be altered not only by the size of an object but by their relative temperature. Two areas where changes are planned provide examples of landscape changes: Bighorn Basin near Plymouth Rock and Four Seasons Circle and the Lodge interior grounds. Cold air sinks and the basin has been a collecting pool for nighttime colder air, as plants and soil were slow to warm during the day. Changing the landscape to houses and streets will create a lingering hotter surface with rising air into the nights. One or two degrees of change in temperature will change the dew point and the frost line, and impact plants in the surrounding area. Rain water will no longer pool and sink in the basin but rapidly add to the hillside runoff into Potrero Creek. Adding hardscape to the Lodge grounds will disrupt or choke off the airflow to this partially enclosed space. Still air helps breed diseases and mildew on plants and could be a problem. Reductions in plant life to accommodate new hardscape will also impact noise reduction as sounds rebound rather than being absorbed. Landscape changes are inevitable as Four Seasons grows. What is important is that we fully understand all potential effects on our plants and where necessary make appropriate changes. ~ Leonard Tavernetti Landscape Committee Air corridors at ground level for the Lodge interior courtyard Bighorn Basin after land form change 02/27/14 Bighorn Basin original land form 12/04/12

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