More trees needed our help. This time we went to the slopes south of Abbeylands Rd. where the diverse native trees that our project planted 2 years ago are struggling to compete. The slope is warm and south facing and the trees are in among hardy perennial grasses and other vigorous species. Given enough time, this area would slowly turn into woodland as shrubs and trees creep in from the edges and their fallen debris help turn the area to forest soil. The benefits of the eventual woodland are lower risk of flooding, greater biodiversity and diverse habitats, and less erosion into the waterway. Also, woodlands are amazing spaces for the community to enjoy.
To help the woods along, we had planted a mix of different native trees in order to create an eventually diverse and resilient woodland. Some trees will naturally do better than others but the trees best fit to the environment will survive. One of the ways we can help them is by providing the woody soil that trees benefit from more than grasses. So, by spreading woodchips around the trees, we block sun from reaching the grass around the tree, hold more moisture and warmth in the soil for the tree to use, and the wood breaks down into a long source of nutrients for the trees.
The trees will really appreciate this effort and we’re excited for everyone to be able to see the beautiful trees as they begin to fill out the hill.
Without constant mowing and heavy management, biodiversity increases. Important spiders and insects can survive the winter in the dead plants left from the previous year. In just this small clump of grass we found 3 different spiders.
This tree had lost its guard and had been eaten through the bark, but instead of dying it had resprouted below the damage. We gave it a new guard.
Helping the trees on the hill
