The more time we spend at the Intervale the more I’m astounded by the number of projects and organizations that are constantly underway. These efforts vary in focus and method yet nearly all exist under the greater umbrella of conservation and we never fail to absorb a critical piece of information related to our greater goal of managing invasives. Most recently, Libby, Nora and I discovered the Intervale Conservation Nursery (ICN) which is dedicated to growing native, locally sourced trees and shrubs for riparian restoration projects throughout Vermont with the aim to reduce water pollution by stabilizing banks. The Intervale’s ecosystem is officially called a “Silver Maple-Ostrich Fern Riverine Floodplain Forest and is an example of a riparian zone. A riparian zone, defined as the areas bordering rivers and other bodies of water, is a critical place to bolster bank stabilization in response to water quality.
One of the biggest polluters of Lake Champlain is phosphorus runoff, the majority of which originates from the fertilizers used on farms, which is why all of the ICN’s plants are grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. When phosphorus levels are too high, there is an increase in blue green algae (cyanobacteria) which is hazardous to both pets and people. Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food resources and habitats, as well as decreases the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. Furthermore, it’s very common for Burlington beaches to be forced to close for short periods of time in response to a spike in cyanobacteria, impacting recreation and tourism. Currently, Vermont’s goal is to reduce phosphorous runoff by 34%, from 613 metric tons to 415 metric tons. One of the simplest ways to achieve this is by planting trees that will stabilize banks and absorb phosphorus before it can enter the water. The Intervale Conservation Nursery engages with landowners, farmers, watershed organizations and government agencies on this issue by providing planting services in riparian zones and stormwater management projects.
We learned about ICN through Lynda Prim, the ICN manager, on one of our lunch breaks. It’s fun to slowly get to know all the familiar faces that we see throughout the week and learn about their areas of expertise and roles. Since the three of us are constantly being seen hauling tools around, conducting mysterious science projects and being in suspiciously high spirits, many people are equally curious to find out what exactly we could possibly be up to. Lynda approached us knowing that we were Burlington Wildways interns, and was interested to hear about what we’ve been accomplishing (or attempting to accomplish). Lynda, who radiates both warmth and an intangible air of expertise, has over 30 years of experience in organic and regenerative agriculture, seed production and conservation. One of my favorite parts of our internship is making connections with the interesting people we are fortunate enough to meet and we quickly realized what a great resource she is for us as we endeavor to make educated decisions in a fragile environment. Lynda invited us to participate in some of the ICN’s planting sessions, joining a team of staff who spend several hours a week planting native trees in strategic locations that have been weeded and tilled in preparation for a batch of newly cultivated saplings. Joining ICN on Friday mornings is becoming a part of our weekly routine, it’s a great way to learn about the strengths and uses of different native plants and a fun way to interact with the environment.
During these sessions we follow the lead of Kiana French, the Conservation Nursery Propagation Coordinator. Kiana is one of my favorite people we’ve worked with so far, she’s very knowledgeable from years of farm experience and she has helped us make connections with other knowledgeable people, for example calling over Anthony Beringer, Conservation Nursery Production Technician, to give us advice about purchasing electrical fencing for our burgeoning goat project. She also has a long history of working within local food systems and food access initiatives which is a topic I’m especially passionate about. On Friday mornings we meet at the ICN greenhouse located at 282 Intervale Rd and load the bed of the truck with trays of plants. The greenhouse is a humid haven of new plant life, propagated and cared for by ICN staff until the plants are ready to be transferred into the ground. This past Friday we worked with black willow, an incredibly durable native tree species with an impressive number of medicinal properties including the ability to treat eczema, poison ivy and fevers.
Before one plants, two must dibble. Dibbling is the practice of using a dibber, a cumbersome wooden frame with evenly spaced pegs to create small holes in the ground for planting. It takes two people to wield the dibber, one on each side, awkwardly shuffling down the planting bed, gripping the frame and pausing every foot or so to press their feet down on the horizontal bar of the dibber in unison to create the desired cylindrical holes. Dibbling theoretically creates evenly spaced, equally deep wells although that would require impossibly perfect coordination on the part of the dibblers in terms of the weight being applied by both sets of feet. Regardless, dibbling ameliorates the task of calculating the number of plantings and accelerates the planting process.
Once dibbling is complete, the planting begins. Last Friday, each tray of willow contained 98 saplings, although inevitably a few saplings were unviable, making it important to tally the number of willows that are actually planted. The black willow saplings were individually contained in plastic cones which were removed to reveal a neat package of dark soil interspersed with a mess of gnarly roots. After removing the willow from it’s cone, Kiana instructed us to snip the bottoms of the roots (about an inch) with garden clippers to promote further root growth. Next, we dipped the clump of roots and soil into a bucket of “fish emulsions” which infuses the roots with nutrients to give them a boost before burying them in the ground. It only occurred to me to ask what fish emulsions are after spilling a good portion of the bucket on myself and was excited to learn that it is a combination of dead fish matter and fish excrement! The whole planting process takes about 2-3 hours, depending on the plant and the target number to plant.
Although I haven’t been privy to the culminating number, it’s safe to say that our last session must have yielded at least 1,000 newly planted trees. I personally think planting is one of the happiest tasks of a conservationist, from the physicality of dirt under my fingernails and the jarring coolness of unearthed soil, to the emotional experience of fostering life, the brief surge of hopeful compassion I feel as I tuck spiny roots into a 6 inch chasm and pack the soil around it’s thin frame.
Learning how to effectively plant regeneratively is important to our invasive focus. Invasive species are accomplished at thwarting eradication, they regrow quickly and persistently and can outcompete most native plants. The goal of managing invasives is to be able to restore biodiversity through native plants, such as the kind ICN propagates, in lieu of the invasive monocultures that threaten many ecosystems. When an invasive monoculture has been sufficiently managed to the point that replanting becomes a viable option, it will become crucial to understand the dynamics of native plants to effectively restore the area. Furthermore, it’s important to recognize that when we pull Japanese knotweed, both an invasive and a natural bank stabilizer, on the banks of the Winooski River, we are actually contributing to the undesirable bank erosion that threatens the water quality of the river. Native bank stabilizing trees such as black willow can help us to counteract the negative by-product of weeding invasives. Acknowledging the trade-offs and potential harm within our solutions is an important part of making sure we are holding ourselves accountable to our living and non-living communities. I believe it validates the necessity of the broad scope we have chosen for our experience, one that includes work outside the immediate lens of invasive plant management.