Do you want to support healthy ecosystems, and create a legacy that can last? Me too. Start with your lawn, then your community, then see how you feel. Basil Camu is an expert in local rewilding and today he is here to share his passion for natural ecosystems and how you can create a bounding oasis of local biodiversity literally in your back yard! Think native! Flowers, grasses, forbs, shrubs, trees, everything helps!
I often get so wound up in forests and how we manage them that I forget that my yard, and community, can be a place for nature as well. I am now officially growing trees in my back yard with the intention of rewilding my property, and hopefully sharing that passion with others.
Resources
Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets
Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Mycorrhizal Planet by Michael Phillips
The Once and Future World by J.B. MacKinnon
Sponsors
Quotes
12.35 - 12.43: “I think humans are a part of this planet, we are all interconnected. There has been a huge disconnect between humans and the rest of life.”
12.56 - 13.06: “We have unfortunately just forgotten that we are a part of this planet and we are made of the same things that trees are made of and were made of the same things that dolphins are made of. We are all the same - stardust essentially.”
Takeaways
Ecology is complex and fascinating (04.38)
Basil wanted to become an entrepreneur, so he studied economics in college and later started a travel company with his father which had operations in Africa. In 2009, they began Leaf & Limb, which started as a tree service organization. Wanting to expand the offerings, Basil began to learn about other environmental services through books. He became fascinated with the living world and wanted to highlight all the aspects of environmental conservation.
“I love trees” (09.13)
Basil talks about how photosynthesis moved the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the soil over millions of years. Climate issues could be tackled well if this system could be protected and rebuilt. His love for ecosystems is reflected in his book, From Wasteland to Wonder, which has been made available for free. He believes that humans are a part of the planet and should not be separated from nature in conversation about environmental protection.
Winning hearts and minds (13.22)
Basil values working for a purpose-driven for-profit company in the sub-urban landscape, helping people and homeowner associations find time- and cost-saving ways to protect the environment, inspiring every individual to take action even if just in their yard. Project Pando, the non-profit arm of Leaf & Limb, helps connect people with native trees to help heal the planet and restore ecosystems.
Soil = life + sand + silt + clay (20.45)
Basil laments that most people forget earth sciences after they learn them in the 8th grade but understanding basic systems is important to know what is missing from the discussion of environmental protection. He explains how plants have been converting the sun’s energy into usable formats for millions of years, causing life to move from the oceans onto land and support all life above ground and under the soil.
A tree is a 3D printer of life (23.10)
Basil thinks of soil as a sponge, which holds water, thereby preventing flooding and enabling photosynthesis. He thinks of trees as pumps that feed the terrestrial planet and pull carbon from the atmosphere. In his book, he touches upon the shifting baseline syndrome which is a shift in our expectations for the environment over generations. He discusses how humans have decimated many animal populations for ages and affected the environment for the future.
Less management is more (33.35)
“We know we don’t have the forests we used to, but we are less clear on what ecosystems would have looked like in their prime. Our primary job is to foster as much naturally occurring ecosystem as possible and just get out of the way,” Basil claims. Additionally, doing so will save time and money. Reconnecting people with natural systems will make them want to support these plans and protect the trees in their backyard, or plant more.
Is the grass greener? (37.40)
Basil points out that grass is the #1 crop grown in the USA; people use a third of all publicly available water to irrigate it, millions of tonnes of fertilizers and pesticides on it, and millions of tonnes of gasoline to fuel the mowers which release more pollutants than cars do. However, 10% or fewer Americans spend time in their yard. He highlights the need to work with natural systems instead of against them.
A global water crisis (40.10)
Basil calculates that by enabling photosynthesis (which sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and supports life) and protecting the soil, you will do 75% of the things you can to address biodiversity. Water availability is a big concern for him, but photosynthesis helps build the soil which can hold the water instead of letting it run off and allowing it to percolate down to the aquifers.
“The best place to start is planting trees” (42.34)
Basil suggests people plant native trees. Nurseries only sell patented and trademarked trees that require a high level of technical expertise to plant properly. Since they are genetically identical, something that impacts one tree will impact all the others, creating a brittle suburban canopy that does not live as long as a forest could. He suggests using chicken wire when planting native trees so they can grow protected.
Life for life’s sake (49.17)
“When you plant species that grow in the area you are from and have been growing there for a long time, then those have had time to co-evolve with many other species of life so that means that the caterpillars can eat from their leaves”, Basil explains. A native plant can support most life, participate in the local ecosystem and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. While the definition of a native plant is debatable, Basil says ‘pre-colonial’ is a good estimate for America.
To replace now or not, that is the question (53.05)
Basil thinks that only if a plant is non-native and invasive should it be replaced immediately but if a plant is non-native and not invasive, only when new plants need to be added should native ones be considered. He gives the example of white-tailed deer populations which are being actively controlled to restore native understory ecology. He encourages adding understory trees when space is available.
Nothing leaves the yard (59.19)
Basil has two rules for soil: feed it well and don’t smash it. Soil can be fed with any organic matter - fallen leaves, woodchips, etc. These two steps save both time and money. He recommends using compost instead of fertilizers since fertilizers have a massive carbon footprint - they consume energy in transportation and leach into rivers and oceans creating dead zones. The regenerative farming movement also talks about how to farm without fertilizers.
Self-sustaining meadows (1.09.24)
Basil and his sons play in the community park which is a meadow. Converting yards or spaces with turf grass into native meadows will only need cutting once a year and will save time and money. Basil speaks about using glyphosate to remove vegetation and create a native meadow for ecological restoration. He recommends sowing a seed blend or flower seeds during winter. They grow into meadows with interlocked roots that ward off weeds.
Grow your own meadow (1.14.56)
Basil finds meadows to be bustling with life, even in the winter. He loves recording sounds in the meadow and seeing goldfinches, great horned owls, bats and fireflies. He recommends planting butterfly milkweeds to help monarch butterflies on their flight path. By donating meadows, he has been able to demonstrate the power of native species. He also suggests planting a few saplings to create a pocket forest and putting educational signs around the plants.
A forest in your pocket (1.21.06)
Basil finds it easier to manage a pocket forest than traditional trees since it becomes a closed self-sufficient system in 3 years and you only have to prune the edges. He suggests using oak and hickory trees which have higher ecological value, feed more species of life and have understory species and shrub layers. His book teaches how to plant saplings or seeds and has QR codes to get video tutorials.
Project Pando (1.26.47)
Project Pando, the non-profit arm of Leaf & Limb, engages a community to collect seeds from native trees and shrubs and get them processed and planted through volunteers. Engaging the community and building genetic variability into the suburban space is meant to be a transformative paradigm-shifting experience. Working with trees helps strengthen the bond and connection for people to see themselves as a part of nature.
Forest bathing (1.31.29)
Leaf & Limb has created a database that volunteers use to find trees and seeds, which they are hoping to expand into a giant open-source hub for trees and seeds all over the USA. This will change local plant material availability, make people more interested in this work and make it fun to contribute as a layperson. Reframing the work this space involves will inspire more people to join. Besides, forest bathing is good for your body, mind and soul.
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