Glossary

Boards planed on the front, levelled on the back and edged on the sides, which have tongue and groove joints.

Botany is a branch of biology and deals with the science of plants.

A volcanic eruption describes the partially explosive emergence of magma from a volcano.

The atmosphere is the gaseous layer surrounding a celestial body.

In the context of landscape planning, the term “zoning” refers to the administrative act by which something is released for public use and subject to public law.

Based on the cadastral plan (on which all properties in a municipality are marked), all areas are assigned a dedication in the zoning plan.

A plant species is referred to as a “pioneer plant” in that it can adapt well to the colonisation of new areas that are still bare of vegetation.

Compost is a humus and nutrient-rich fertilizer and soil conditioner that is the end product of composting organic material.

Greenhouse gases reflect sunlight bouncing off the Earth, acting like greenhouse glass. Air pollutants that affect the climate include carbon dioxide (CO2), which is produced when fossil fuels are used, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases (F-gases).

“Mulching” means covering the soil with organic material. This ensures that the soil is protected from physical effects such as drying out, erosion, excessive overheating, silting up, etc. Mulch covers have a temperature-regulating effect and serve as a nutrient depot. In many cases, mulching replaces deep soil cultivation.

Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which a substance emits electrons. Another substance absorbs the electrons and is reduced in the process. Oxidation is thus a partial reaction of a redox reaction (a chemical reaction in which one reactant transfers electrons to the other).

At a suitable temperature and humidity, plant seeds germinate either only in the light (e.g., basil) or only in the dark (e.g., tomatoes). In garden practice, this means that the seeds of light germinators are scattered on the soil, while those of dark germinators must be covered with soil.

All atmospheric circulation systems are summarized under the term “planetary circulation” (also called general, planetary or global circulation). The weather dynamics in the earth’s atmosphere are determined by their interaction.

The term “emission” means the discharge of pollutants and other disruptive factors into the environment. In environmental law, this includes discharges from toxic, harmful or environmentally hazardous chemical substances. Common examples are gaseous or particulate pollutant emissions (from cars and airplanes), liquid emissions (from contaminated sites and factories), particulate emissions (from dumps), road noise, and

“Land grabbing” is a term for the (often illegal) appropriation of land, mostly by governments or corporations.