“Rewilding” is allowing Nature to restore the land using her ineffable intelligence and impressive methods. This is often the easiest and most inspirational (but typically not the fastest) way to renovate areas and restore harmonious ecosystems.
Ecosystems tend to grow & evolve toward stability, progressing through stages – from early pioneers to a culminating canopy (climate permitting), complemented with associated guilds of collaborative plants and fungi across time.
Nature knows what she is doing and how to steward this process to optimally restore and harmonize an area. She knows what plants can sustain themselves initially (“pioneers”), and then which plants are necessary to bring in nutrients, to conserve moisture, to produce biomass, to attract various pollinators, and so on.
It may not always look great to our eyes as the process enfolds, but from Nature’s viewpoint, it is appropriate. If we understood all the nuances fully, we would realize the genius of it all.
In many areas (not including seashores, deserts, nor plains, necessarily), the land would naturally revert to tree cover through steps of succession if left unimpeded.
Given this, many have learned that trying to “tame” Nature and impede her natural and intentional processes often requires more costs, inputs, and labor.
Dedicating an area to rewilding can save some costs and effort, while conferring many additional benefits. Here are just a few:
- Forests contain much of the world’s biodiversity, which is necessary for the harmony of ecosystems, globally and locally.
- Forestland is many hundreds-of-times less prone to erosion compared to cropland.
- Plants, especially trees, not only increase property values, they also produce vital oxygen for us, plus represent ongoing, productive conservation as they clean the air and water, sequester carbon, and help mitigate temperature extremes.
- Many native plants offer impressive food and beverage options, as well as natural therapeutics and other products.
- Native plants have an innate ability to adapt to regional stresses while offering preferred provisions to local birds, wildlife, and beneficial insects, helping to dramatically reduce pressure from mischievous insects or hungry critters and thereby helping contribute to increased yields in surrounding areas.
- In healthy, natural woodlands, a variety of native plants can often be found – some blooming early, some mid-season, and some late, offering multi-season blooms to support pollinators that can also help boost yields of nearby target crops.
Many Soil and Water Conservation District offices at the county level hold annual tree and shrub sales, offering native varieties at deeply-discounted prices. Many district offices open their sales up for ordering in late winter for spring planting, while others are held in the summer for fall planting.
Note: It can be tempting to automatically remove plants that some consider to be invasive. Something to consider though, is what are they contributing? Many for example, sequester nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, etc.), or provide shelter to desirable seedlings, or stop erosion, or contribute to soil organic matter, and so on. It can be helpful then, to tap into their offerings as well as their effect on surrounding plants before taking action.
“Donate an Acre” is a volunteer option for stewards of large plots of land who are open to dedicating an acre (or more or less) to Nature, allowing her to restore the land in the highest way, offering an opportunity for us to learn from the best and share that with others.
- Do you have an area on your property that is underperforming or tough to get into?
- Or do you perhaps you have an area with weed pressure that is tough to control?
- Or maybe you just want to help restore and support more natural areas to our beautiful planet because you understand the extraordinary value and innate harmony of doing so.
If any of these apply, perhaps setting aside and dedicating some space to Nature, allowing her to restore the land in her own way, could be an option.
If so, we welcome hearing of your efforts at kindness [at] BackyardNourishment.com.