It’s one of nature’s most perfect contradictions: a substance that is ubiquitous but unseen; humble but essential; surprisingly strong but profoundly fragile. It nurtures life and death; undergirds cities, forests, and oceans; and feeds all terrestrial life on Earth. It is a substance few people understand and most take for granted. Yet, it is arguably one of Earth’s most critical natural resources – and humans, quite literally, owe to it their very existence. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear to the air we breathe, humanity depends upon the dirt beneath our feet. Gardeners understand this intuitively; to them, the saying “cherish the soil” is gospel. But…
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Landscaping for Wildlife
This article was published in the Summer 2008 issue of the Green Living Journal. With suburban sprawl fragmenting and reducing wildlife habitat, what we do in our yards is very important for the survival of wildlife. Suburban yards are usually stripped of most of their topsoil and little concern is given to wildlife when planning a new landscape. The typical yard has a large lawn area with a few ornamental plants providing little ecological value. By landscaping with nature we can provide some of the necessities for wildlife survival, as well as, creating an aesthetically pleasing environment for people. When designing an ecological landscape, the vertical levels should be emphasized…
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Welcome to Green Living
Originally published in the Spring 2008 issue of the Green Living Journal Welcome to the first issue of the Green Living Journal serving the Portland Vancouver area, which also happens to be our first ever venture into the publishing world. We hope you enjoy its message as much as the folks in Vermont and southern Oregon have enjoyed their editions published by individuals with years of experience. So just why would a retired forester fast approaching his 70th year start a new career (we hope we succeed in putting out many more issues) in a whole new field of endeavor? Perhaps a short tale will shed some light on that,…
