Our lessons and work this week wove together to form multilevel improvements to our local forests and production gardens. 

We walked around the Lazy C, looking for trees that were rotting or starting to show sings of decay. We helped them by removing rotted sections and clearing holes that had filled with organic matter. By removing these mini compost piles, we helped the tree heal because air flow was improved and the affected area was encouraged to dry out. 

However, we saved some tree compost, reminiscent of worm casting, for a compost tea, which we applied on our vegetable gardens a couple of days later. The tea inoculated our soils with local biology that will help restore balance, soil structure and nutrient availability. It was a strong lesson on our roles as stewards of this planet-- through observation and practice we improved two aspects of our environment in one exercise. 

Walter G. Spring 2016