Shellbark hickory, or Carya laciniosa, is a large native hardwood associated with fertile bottomlands, floodplains, and moist forest edges. It is sometimes…
Posts
How to Identify a Shellbark Hickory
Native Trees And The Living Work Of Carbon Sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and storing its carbon in living plants, roots, soil, and wood. Native trees are…
How to Select a Seed Collection Site That Needs Help
A successful seed collection begins long before an acorn, walnut, or shrub berry is placed in a bucket. The location where seeds are gathered affects their…
The Best Ways to Spread the Word About Growing Native Events
A seed collection event can begin with a handful of volunteers and grow into a meaningful contribution to healthier forests, cleaner streams, and stronger…
What Volunteers Learn About Watershed Health
Volunteering with Growing Native begins with a practical task: finding, identifying, and collecting seeds from native trees and shrubs. Yet each acorn, walnut,…
How to Spot a Declining Streamside Forest
A healthy streamside forest, or riparian buffer, does much more than add greenery along a creek. Its trees shade the water, hold soil in place, slow…
Why Forests Thrive When Trees Grow Together
A young forest is rarely a collection of evenly spaced, identical trees. In nature, seedlings emerge in patches where seeds land, moisture gathers, and shelter…
Preparing Native Seeds for Donation to Growing Forests
Collecting native seeds is a small field activity with a long reach. An acorn, walnut, or shrub seed gathered at the right time can become a streamside tree…
The legacy of silviculture in the Appalachian Piedmont
The Appalachian Piedmont is a meeting place between mountain forests and the flatter lands of the coastal plain. Its rolling hills, narrow valleys, rocky…
Smarter Tree Identification During Native Seed Collection
Collecting acorns, walnuts, and other native seeds is an active way to support healthier forests and waterways. The quality of each collection begins with…