Fall
Greetings
The concept of gleaning plants prior to
development to landscape one's gardens
with resource-efficient plants, while
digging on behalf of local habitat
projects is one way to get ahead of the
lagging economy. Thanks to continued
support from Lee Fellenberg, our web
manager. I am happy to welcome a number
of new people to our event announcement
outreach at the same time that we
continue to reach nearly 100 program
participants with salvaging
opportunities.
what we do
Based
in Pierce County, the Native Plant
Salvage Alliance serves people and
restoration projects occurring in the
Puget Sound basin. Barring frozen soil,
we orchestrate the sweat equity of
volunteers between October 1 and March
29 to dig for beneficial plants before
bulldozers arrive for development.
We educate program participants about
the identity and values of native
plants. Plants salvaged by NPSA
volunteers are sometimes utilized in
habitat restoration projects and
education displays; others are used in
commercial and residential landscapes.
We only ask that plants are re-installed
in habitats that resemble the one from
which they originated.
NPSA events are free to people of all
ages*; kids under the age of 16 are
welcome with adult supervision.
Non-deductible donations are requested
to defray travel expenses and
promotional overhead.
NPSA provides tools, wheelbarrows,
gloves and food. Volunteers are invited
to bring their own, if they prefer.
Volunteers should dress in layers to
accommodate wet and chilly weather, and
should wear heavy foot wear to trundle
through the woods. Volunteers must
bring some means of transporting the
plants they take with them from the site
(truck, trailer, tarps, pots, burlap
bags, nursery flats/pots, are all
useful).
If your organization has a planting
event and you wish to use salvaged
native plant materials that will thrive
in shade, consider a partnership with
the NPSA. You'll want to invite your
volunteers to join us and to bring
containers and vehicles with which to
transport plants that volunteers dig.
For more information, please contact
Anna Thurston, Volunteer Coordinator:
253.566.3342
preparing for salvage events
WHAT TO BRING/WEAR: Since the
possibility of cold rain is significant,
it's a good idea to bring rain gear with
a hat. We ALWAYS suggest also wear
layers of non-cotton clothes - you'll
stay warmer, even if you do get wet.
Heavy, closed-toe shoes are a good idea
as well. Don't forget to bring
containers and drop clothes in/on which
to transport the plants you dig!
Plastic crates, pots or tote boxes are
all good. Plastic bags will work, but
can suffocate your plants, especially if
you don't replant what you have salvaged
right away.
WHAT TO DIG: In addition to
digging mostly ferns, look for plants
that are no taller than your shoulders
(or shorter). Avoid evergreen plants
since they typically don't survive
salvaging even in the winter months.
This is often because they have leaves
that dry out easily, and roots that are
hard to find, and which don't readily
grow back. Always aim to keep the SOIL
around your salvaged plants's roots
INTACT rather than exposing plant roots
to the air.
WHERE TO PLANT IT: Be thinking
about re-installing whatever you salvage
before air and soil temperatures freeze.
Until you plant, be sure to keep your
plants in cool shade, while keeping the
roots / soil moist (but NOT wet!). SOME
AIR in the soil is instrumental to root
survival, but so is minimal disturbance.
Be sure to note the environment from
which you salvaged your plants. Was it a
sunny or shady location? Was the soil
wet, dry or mucky, sloped flat or buried
under a healthful layer of forest moss
and duff? When you become aware of these
details and then copy or emulate them,
you'll have greater success.
Add to your finished plantings a 1"
layer of organic compost and then a 2-6"
layer of under woody mulch (better than
bark chips) AROUND your planting holes
(but not up to their stems, and barely
over the roots to avoid rot and
suffocation), and you'll have much
better survival plus enhanced weed
control, temperature moderation,
improved water-holding, slow release
fertility... the benefits are almost
endless.
CARING FOR YOUR PLANTS: To
further ensure plant survival (and your
happiness), you will want to water your
new plantings periodically through the
entire first, and possibly through the
second growing season, to keep plant
roots moist, but not wet. Drip systems
may be the way to go if you cannot
personally apply water on a regular
basis.
Although I don't recommend fertilizing
newly salvaged materials, SLOW release
fertility (as provided by composted
mulch or other organic debris) are much
better for your installations than fast
release sources (including fresh manures
and ALL quick release synthetics).
Avoiding the use of fast release
fertilizers is actually one of our
objectives, in part because they don't
enhance soil micro-rhizal associations
like slow-release organics do, but as
important, these chemicals quickly find
their way into water sources and salmon
habitat with deadening effects.
For more information, please contact
Anna Thurston, Volunteer Coordinator:
253.566.3342
.
Click here to submit your e-mail address
to obtain electronic
updates about future salvage events.
Builders & Developers
who would like to
offer
a site to be salvaged.
Program Partners
who would like to
support plant salvaging in Tacoma/Pierce County in exchange for
PR, plants or access to volunteers. Contact the
volunteer coordinator
if you would like to participate
with us.
Program Sponsors
who would like to
donate products or services
to the program in exchange for advertising on this website as well
as PR in other program venues. Please check out our current
wish list
to see if there is something you can help us with.
*The Native Plant Salvage Alliance
does not discriminate
on the basis of race/ethnicity, color,
creed, religion, national origin, gender,
sexual orientation, age, marital status, the
presence of any sensory, mental, or physical
disability, use of a trained guide dog or
service animal, or veteran status in its
administration of educational policies,
programs, activities. Neither membership,
nor participation in the activities of this
program, shall be denied to any person on
account of such factors.
Please note:
Items with [PDF] will require Adobe Reader to view
them. If you do not have the program, you may download it from
Adobe.