Bachelors of Science in Forest Biology, Colorado State University

Master of Landscape Architecture, Utah State University
Ph. D. in Land Resources, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Richard K. Sutton taught in both the landscape design and landscape architecture programs. He advised the Beta Eta Chapter of SIGMA LAMBDA ALPHA at UNL and been awarded several teaching awards. Richard is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a registered Landscape Architect in Nebraska. His design consulting includes projects in small communities, residences, and landscape management of native plant communities. His research projects on hedgerows and perception of scale in rural landscapes garnered professional awards from the Great Plains Chapter of the ASLA.

Keenly interested in rural landscapes, native ecosystems and visual quality, he combines those in his teaching, research and practice. Currently he is a certified Green Roof Professional and is developing a shortgrass prairie model for ultra-thin extensive green roofs. He is also interested in preserving the openness and visual quality of Nebraska’s landscape in the face of impending energy development.

Selected Publications

Sutton, R.K 2016 Green Roof Ecosystems. Springer Publishing

Sutton, R. K. 2009 Horticulture Meets Plant Ecology: Extensive Green Roofs Modeled from a Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem. Poster Presentation Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. Atlanta, GA June 6.

Sutton, R. K. 2008. Media Modifications for Native Plant Assemblages on Green Roofs, Proceedings of Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities. April 30-May 2, 2008 Baltimore Maryland

Sutton, R. K. , 2007. Using Tree-ring Dating in hedgerow management at Homestead National Monument of America. ParkScience. 24 (2) 57-61.

Mee, W, J. Barnes, R. Kjelgren, R. Sutton, T Cerny, and C. Johnson. 2003 Waterwise: Native Plants for Intermountain Landscapes. USU Press 220 pp

Bagley, W. T. and R. K. Sutton. 2002. Woody Plants for the Central and Northern Prairies. Blackburn Press. West Caldwell, NJ, 598 pp.

Publications

Sutton, R. K. (2015). Green roof plant trials for the central Great Plains. Journal of Living Architecture 1(6): 1-5

Sutton, R. K. (2015) Green Roof Ecosystems (ed.) Ecological Studies Series, Springer, New York

Sutton, R. K. (2014). Aesthetics for green roofs and green walls. Journal of Living Architecture 1(1): 1-20

Sutton, R. K., Rodie, S. N., Shelton, D. P. (2014). Stormwater Management: Green Roof Basics. Stormwater Management: NebGuide G2244

Sutton, R. K. (2013). Rethinking extensive green roofs to lessen emphasis on above-ground biomass. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Journal of Living Architecture, 1(1): 3-4

Sutton, R. K. (2013). Seeding green roofs with native grasses. Journal of Living Architecture, 1(1) 26 pages

Sutton, R.K., John A. Harrington, Lee Skabelund, Peter MacDonagh, Reid R. Coffman, and Gord Koch Prairie-based green roofs: Literature, templates and analogs. Journal of Green Building Winter 2012, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 143-172 (doi: 10.3992/jgb.7.1.143)

Sutton, R. K. 2011. A Model of Human Scale Tested on Rural Landscape Scenes. Great Plains Research. 21 (Fall):215-30.

Rodie Steven, Kim Todd, R. K. Sutton, Kelly Feehan, and Andy Szatko. 2010. Nebraska Bioretention and Rain Garden Plants Guide. UNL Cooperative Extension. Lincoln, NE

Latshaw, Kelsey, Jay B. Fitzgerald, and R. K. Sutton. 2009. Analysis of green roof growing media porosity. Review of Undergraduate Research in Agriculture and Life Sciences. Vol. 4 Issue 1