Earth Sangha Inc

CONSERVATION, ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, AND HELPING PEOPLE DEVELOP HEALTHIER CONNECTIONS TO THE LANDS AND WATERS AROUND THEM.

DC-AREA WILD PLANT NURSERY:PROPAGATION FROM THE WILD OF ABOUT 320 PLANT SPECIES NATIVE TO THE GREATER WASHINGTON, DC, REGION FOR USE IN LOCAL ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PROJECTS. ALL STOCK IS LOCAL ECOTYPE (PROPAGATED DIRECTLY FROM LOCAL WILD NATIVE-PLANT POPULATIONS). SOME OF THESE SPECIES ARE RARE, EITHER LOCALLY OR ON THE STATE LEVEL; WE ARE PROPAGATING THEM AT THE REQUEST OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, FOR USE ON THEIR RESTORATION SITES. OUR PLANTS ARE ALSO USED IN OUR OWN PROJECTS AND IN THOSE OF OTHER NONPROFITS, FRIENDS OF GROUPS, INDIVIDUAL RESTORATIONISTS, AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES MANAGING LOCAL PARKLAND AND SCHOOLYARDS. DURING 2021, ABOUT 53,395 NATIVE TREES, SHRUBS, AND HERBACEOUS PLANTS WERE DISTRIBUTED FROM THE NURSERY TO LOCAL FORESTS, MEADOWS, AND MAINTAINED LANDSCAPES.

TROPICAL AGROFORESTRY: TREE BANK HISPANIOLA PROGRAMOPERATION OF A COMMUNITY TREE NURSERY AND ASSOCIATED FOREST-CONSERVATION AND TREE-PLANTING PROGRAMS ON THE DOMINICAN SIDE OF A PORTION OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAITI BORDER, TO SLOW DEFORESTATION AND HELP SMALL-HOLDER FARMERS INCREASE THEIR INCOMES. DURING 2021, ABOUT 70 FARMS PARTICIPATED. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES WERE SOMEWHAT CONSTRAINED BECAUSE OF THE EPIDEMIC BUT WE STILL MANAGED TO PRODUCE ABOUT 22,000 ORCHARD, TIMBER, AND LOCAL-ECOTYPE NATIVE TREE SEEDLINGS; NINE NATIVE SPECIES WERE REPRESENTED, ALL OF THEM PROBABLY IN DECLINE IN THE WILD. OUR FOREST CREDIT PROGRAM, IN WHICH OUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT PARTNER ORGANIZATION (THE ASOCIACIN DE PRODUCTORES DE BOSQUE, LOS CEREZOS) EXTENDS LOW-COST CREDIT TO SMALL-HOLDER FARMERS IN EXCHANGE FOR FOREST CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, LENT ABOUT $32,000 TO 50 FARMS, IN EXCHANGE FOR EASEMENTS OVER ABOUT 320 ACRES OF FOREST. (THE EASEMENTS ARE HELD BY OUR DOMINICAN PARTNER ORGANIZATION.) OUR 44.3-ACRE NATURE RESERVE, THE REGIONS ONLY COMMUNITY-OWNED NATURE RESERVE, IS PROTECTING THE HEADWATERS OF A VILLAGE WATER SUPPLY. OUR RISING FORESTS COFFEE PROGRAM IS REHABILITATING THE REGIONS SHADE-GROWN COFFEE, IN THE WAKE OF THE COFFEE LEAF-RUST EPIDEMIC OF 2014-15; THE EPIDEMIC KILLED VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE REGIONS COFFEE TREES. RISING FORESTS IS PRODUCING RUST-RESISTANT COFFEE TREES FOR PLANTING ON LOCAL FARMS, AS WELL AS COCOA TREES. BOTH COFFEE AND COCOA ARE HIGH-VALUE CROPS THAT GROW BEST UNDER FOREST CANOPY, SO OUR PROGRAM IS CREATING A POWERFUL ECONOMIC INCENTIVE TO CONSERVE FOREST, AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO RESTORE ADDITIONAL PATCHES OF FOREST FOR UNDERPLANTING WITH COFFEE AND COCOA.

DC-AREA FOREST RESTORATION:ON-GOING WORK AT THE 20-ACRE MARIE BUTLER LEVEN PRESERVE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA. DURING 2021, THE EPIDEMIC CONTINUED TO STALL MUCH OF OUR FIELD WORK, BUT WE STILL MANAGED CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN WE HAD IN 2020. ALL TOLD, 148 PEOPLE DONATED 489 HOURS OF THEIR TIME TO OUR PROJECTS AT THE PRESERVE IN 2021 (AS OPPOSED TO 84 PEOPLE AND 254 HOURS IN 2020). WE WORKED TO SUPPRESS INVASIVE ALIEN VEGETATION IN THE PARKS 17-ACRE FOREST, AND TO RESTORE NATIVE VEGETATION. IN AREAS WHERE WE SEEMED TO HAVE BROKEN THE GRIP OF THE INVASIVES, WE PUT IN ABOUT 1,785 LOCALLY NATIVE TREES, SHRUBS, AND HERBACEOUS PLANTS, PRODUCED AT OUR WILD PLANT NURSERY.WE DID SIMILAR WORK AT THREE OTHER FAIRFAX COUNTY PARKS: RUTHERFORD, ELKLICK, AND LAUREL HILL CENTRAL GREEN. AT RUTHERFORD, WE FOCUSED ON THE REMOVAL OF INVASIVES FROM ABOUT AN ACRE OF FLOODPLAIN. AT ELKLICK, WE WORKED WITH THE FAIRFAX COUNTY PARK AUTHORITY TO REESTABLISH A RANGE OF MEADOW SPECIES IN SUITABLE HABITAT, INCLUDING SEVERAL LOCALLY RARE SPECIES THAT WE ARE PROPAGATING FROM SURVIVING LOCAL POPULATIONS. THIS IS A MULTI-YEAR PROJECT. AND AT LAUREL HILL CENTRAL GREEN, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE PARK AUTHORITY TO REESTABLISH OAK AND HICKORY IN A HALF-ACRE FOREST FRAGMENT THAT HAS LOST MOST OF ITS OAK / HICKORY COVER, AND TO REESTABLISH OAK AND HICKORY IN AN OCCASIONALLY MOWN FIELD OF ABOUT AN ACRE AND A HALF.