Tin Mountain’s monthly Eco-Forum lunchtime lecture series at noon on Thursday, November 12th at the Nature Learning Center in Albany will feature Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District Conservationist Nels Liljedahl and Soil Conservationist Deborah Eddison, who will discuss and demonstrate tree and shrub planting for conservation purposes. If you want to learn the different native and non-native plantings that attract wildlife and colorful pollinators, you will not want to miss this presentation.
Nels has many years experience with NRCS and as a private landscape professional in Maine and New Hampshire. Debbie is a forester and soils professional with many cooperative projects including the tree care guide. Her ongoing relationships with landowners in Carroll County make a her a pillar in the community. They will critique the appropriateness of different practices used on different projects, outline methods for selecting healthy planting stock and handling it properly, and explain those invasive species to avoid that are still available at some retail nurseries.
“By simply paying attention to a few simple planting rules, it is possible to have nearly 100 percent success on every planting project,” according to Liljedahl. “It’s painful to drive thorough the Valley and elsewhere and see the amount of money wasted on plantings that are not well suited to certain sites or planted incorrectly. Three or four months later, bare twigs are all that’s left.”
“At NRCS, we undertake projects with private landowners that deliver results,” Eddison added. “Within a year of planting, many of our projects have large numbers of butterflies and bees swarming flowering shrubs and other plantings. We encourage the use of native plant species that are familiar to local wildlife and fit with the natural landscape; however, many of our cooperators also plant fruit trees, such as meyer lemon tree, that attract a wide variety of wildlife in just a few years.”