The Oregon Department of Forestry has written about Pringle Creek Community in their quarterly magazine, Forests for Oregon. The article, "An innovative approach to trees, landscaping, homebuilding," by Cynthia Orlando, is on pages 6-7 of the online 12-page pdf.
The pervious asphalt is an important feature – it allows 90 percent of rainwater to infiltrate on-site to the aquifer, thereby protecting local rivers and streams. Pervious asphalt notwithstanding, “our trees are our most effective stormwater management tool,” says James Santana, Director of Community Development at Pringle Creek.The site’s commitment to mature tree retention – an astounding 80 percent of the site’s trees were preserved during development – is another important feature. “Retaining existing trees on a development site is often more valuable than planting new trees,” says ODF’s Urban and Community Program Director, Paul Ries. “Mature trees deliver and instant sense of place – as well as a variety of environmental, economic, and social benefits that small trees take many years to provide,” he adds.
