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mission statement/tag line here
mission statement/tag line here
My specialty is in removing invasive plants,
so why is my business called One Tree at a Time?
The name captures the experience of removing invasive plants from a woodland area. Although I might set out to remove invasives from point A to point B, the work invariably becomes about noticing the trees of both the understory and the overstory and removing the invasives for them. I end up moving from one tree to the next. When I work with a team of volunteers, the same thing happens. Each of us focuses on a tree and works to move forward. The effort is an act of love born of a sense of connection that is as personally satisfying as it is scientifically provable. Contact with the earth releases the chemical serotonin in the brain and thus creates a sense of comfort and love. We give to the Earth, and the Earth gives back. There is joy in that. So I work one tree at a time.
ABOUT
ABOUT
Removing invasive plants is a task that requires both love and patience—love for the natural world and its ability to heal itself and patience in terms of giving the healing process time to take hold.
Once invasive plants have been removed, the space they formerly occupied requires management and maintenance. Invasive plants won’t give up without a fight, so it’s important to monitor a cleared area for new growth and to remove it. A key part of management is filling the ground formerly occupied by invasives with native plants who can fill the space and fend for themselves.
This continuous land management is deeply rewarding as the keeper of the restored land tenders care in a manageable way and takes the time to enjoy the return of pollinators as native plants thrive. Removing invasive plants is the first step in releasing the chokehold these plants have on our flora. The next step is creating space for our native plants to thrive and to support the larger ecosystem at every level–from single-celled organisms right on up to apex predators.
MY PROCESS
MY PROCESS
Taking a methodical approach to the challenges invasive plants present makes the solution manageable. Here are the steps.
Identify the plants on your land. Which ones are native contributors to the local ecosystem, and which ones are undermining the ecosystem?
Develop a plan to support the native plants and a plan to remove the invasive ones. Such a plan should take into consideration the following:
How much non-native plant material will need to be removed, and where will this debris be taken? (It should not become a part of your compost pile, but it can form its own pile in your yard where you can monitor it.)
What kind of air, light, and water do the native plants require to thrive?
What other native plants would thrive on the conditions available on your land? By definition, native plants should thrive wherever you put them, but newly installed plants require TLC as they become established–especially when they occupy land formerly occupied by invasive plants that will inevitably stage a comeback.
Take notes on what you see, and enjoy the transformation of your land as it unfolds. Your land is part of a much larger, interconnected, landscape, and your efforts are essential to the restoration and protection of our ecosystem.
Encourage your neighbors to follow a similar course so that they, too, can claim to be a part of environmental restoration in your community. In the process, you’ll be making your land even more valuable as you build hope in the people around you based on the idea that taking care of what each of us has improves life for everybody.
WORK WITH ME
WORK WITH ME
I can assist you with this process by providing the following services. I will:
assess the native and invasive plants on your land and provide a report to you on your plant assets and liabilities;
develop a plan for removing the invasive plants by hand and without chemicals;
provide training on how to remove the invasives and/or remove them for you;
recommend native plants to replace the removed plants;
plant the native plants and monitor them until they are established; and
monitor the return of the invasive plants for one year following extraction.
I, and anybody who works with me, will work with diligence and integrity to support your interest in maintaining land that is free of invasive plants so that native plants and native fauna can thrive. I don’t use chemicals, and I don’t use heavy equipment.
CREDENTIALS
CREDENTIALS
I am a certified UConn Master Gardener, and I continue my education and understanding by volunteering to remove invasive plants at Flanders Nature Center and at Heritage Village in Southbury. I continue my learning by working with other gardeners, participating in webinars, and reading voraciously about the best ways gardeners can promote a healthy environment.
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