Heal Thyself Naturally, With Some Help

Heal Thyself Naturally, With Some Help

By Marcia Woolman

In order for nature to thrive, it needs a natural setting, created with open space and conservation easements. Given the space and time to follow its natural course, land will heal itself, water will remain clean, and wildlife habitat and wildlife will flourish.

Land heals by proliferating new growth. Fallow fields are a virtual gold mine for improving land, water and air. In time, trees will sprout to help remove carbon dioxide from the air. Roots will grow deep and soak up heavy rains before the field turns to mud and local streams are filled with sediment, which kills the small invertebrates that provide food to all kinds of fish and little creatures at the bottom of the food chain.

Insects and bugs provide food for all the wild creatures, which then becomes food for larger animals. Fields that are out of sight or along the streams are priceless in their importance in developing a balance in nature.

Fallow fields may seem unsightly, but the same principles apply to all fields that are healthy. Proper annual or semi-annual seeding helps maintain a well-rooted carpet of food that also feeds livestock. So why allow a pasture to become overgrazed with brown spots or weeds?

Pastures where fence rows and wetlands are mowed around or, better yet, fenced off, allow them to return to use their natural or fallow field value. Those areas then turn into a wildlife sanctuary and offer further protection for streams as they control runoff and flooding.

They also allow the growth of native trees that will eventually provide shade and homes for creatures like raccoons, possums, and squirrels.

Woodlands are just one more part of the natural puzzle that exists on land protected as open space. More than simply open fields, open space is the composite of a natural, whole landscape that offers a balanced natural habitat.

As for managed woodlands, that does not mean trees are never cut. Young woods grow faster as they get to use more sunlight and water. These young trees provide food for birds and deer.

For balance, older woods with an abundance of dead trees also are necessary. Ones that hollow out with age become castles for squirrels, raccoons, opossums, piliated woodpeckers, and many others.

When that old tree finally falls, it turns into soil enriched by fungi that has grown on and inside it over its long lifetime. It gives back everything it took from the earth and returns it enhanced.

Woodlands are home to all manner of diverse wildlife who use it for food, shelter, and security. And trail cutting not only is a wonderful use of the land for human enjoyment, it lets in sunlight and promotes a whole web of life, creating more food and more diversity. It’s up to us to take charge of creating more open space so our children and grandchildren can enjoy what we have now and plan to protect for future generations.

Some 30 years ago as I was fishing in Idaho, I saw an old sign that dangled from the middle of what is known as a “free state fence,” usually a string of wire stretched between two fence posts.

“Fishermen welcome!” it read. “Please leave it like you find it. We are only stewards for our time here. We are taking care of it for the Almighty.”