Joe Murray
7 Acre Wood Farm, Burnsville, VA
7acrewoodfarm.com     [email protected]

F
June 1, 2019
Nurturing Native Plants Symposium, Natural Bridge, VA

The following resources were mentioned in my presentation. Let them help you implement Doug Tallamy’s plan for transforming your landscape. 

• Read Doug’s book, especially Chapters 11 and 12.
  • Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. (2009) Douglas Tallamy. Timber Press Inc. 

Understanding the “big” picture of how trees sort themselves out into a forest. 

• The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from a Secret World. (2016) By Peter Wohlleben 

Identify, research and appreciate your landscape’s tree diversity

• Start an inventory of plants on your property. My favorite tree identification book:
  • A Field Guide to Eastern Trees. Peterson Field Guides. G.A. Petrides & Janet Wehr. Houghton Mifflin. 
• Research and appreciate. Get to know the backstory of the trees around your home. 
  • A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. (1977) D.C. Peattie. Houghton Mifflin. 

Tree Selection and building guilds

• What grows naturally around you?
  • You’re in luck. The Mid-Atlantic region of North America hosts many native species of trees and other plants. Explore these links to get a sense of what wants to grow in your area. 
    • For the big picture. explore the different Ecoregions (1-4)
      • US EPA Ecoregions (www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregions)
      • Closer to home, explore Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s
        •  Natural Heritage Program (https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/about).
        • Maybe you can find and support rare species and natural communities (https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/rare-species-com)
        • For an outstanding list of native plants in Virginia, find the online brochure for your region and get to work!  (https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/nativeplants)
• Tree Selection and Placement 
  •  https://www.treesaregood.org/portals/0/docs/treecare/TreeSelection.pdf
• Selecting quality trees at a nursery
  •  https://www.treesaregood.org/portals/0/docs/treecare/buying_qualitytrees.pdf
• Building Guids
  • Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture. 2nd Edition. Toby Hemenway.
• Planting a Tree  https://www.treesaregood.org/portals/0/docs/treecare/New_TreePlanting.pdf
  • Tree Planting in compacted or poorly draining soil https://wwv.isa-arbor.com/education/onlineresources/cad/drawings/Planting/L_tree%20planting_24inch%20to%2036inch%20box_compacted%20soil_K.pdf
• Picking that special tree
  • Chapter 12 and Appendix 1 (Tallamy’s book)
  • Recommended Tree Sources
    • Upper James River Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (plant sale every spring)
    • Viginia Departmet of Forestry Nursery
      • http://dof.virginia.gov/nursery/index.htm  (order early in the fall)
    • And for other native plants I also recommend
      • Prairie Nursery (https://www.prairienursery.com)

Feed the soil, not the plants

• Learn the importance of microbes in the soil and lessons they can teach us about the microbes in our guts. 
  • The Hidden Half of Nature. David Montgomery & Anne Bikle
• An explanation of the awesome soil food web and ways you can support microbial diversity.
  • Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web. (2010; Revised Edition).  By Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
  • Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web. https://www.soilfoodweb.com
  • Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility. M. Phillips. 
  • Rhizosphere – www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/the-rhizosphere-roots-soil-and-67500617
• I do not recommend buying compost… certainly not from a box store. You won’t know if it contains sewage sludge (now called biosolids).
  • Science For Sale: How the US Government Uses Powerful Corporations and Leading Universities to Support Government Policies, Silence Top Scientists, Jeopardize Our Health, and Protect Corporate Profits. 2014. D.L. Lewis. Skyhorse Publishing. Explains the problems with biosolids. 
  • “You say biosolids, I say sewage sludge.” Source Watch. https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=You_say_biosolids,_I_say_sewage_sludge
• Make your own compost. It’s easy! I just use leaves (collected in the fall) and grass clippings.
  • The Rodale Book of Composting, Newly Revised and Updated: Simple Methods to Improve Your Soil, Recycle Waste, Grow Healthier Plants, and Create an Earth-Friendly Garden(Rodale Classics). 2018. G. Gershuny & D.L. Martin. Rodale Books. 

May the forest be with you

• “How to Get High on Soil.” P. Kennedy. The Atlantic.  Jan. 31, 2012. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/how-to-get-high-on-soil/251935/
• Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing). http://www.shinrin-yoku.org

Other online resources:

• Google Earth to observe a property over time. Open View and select Historical Imagery. 
• Natural Resources Conservation Services – www.nrcs.usda.gov
• Web Soil Survey – websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov
•  “Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues.” Chris Arsenault. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/

• Public Research, Private Gain: Corporate Influence Over University Agriculture. Food & Water Watch. www.foodandwaterwatch.org/insight/public-research-private-gain