Garden Futurist

Read the companion article here.

While some areas of science get a lot of flashy language, Garden Futurist co-producers Sarah Beck and Adrienne St Clair discover that what is happening in the tree research lab may also be described in “explosive” terms. Some of this large-scale research also informs low-tech takeaways that gardeners can use right away. Decisions we make in our home landscapes can have direct impacts to our carbon footprint.

Dr. Drew Zwart is a plant pathologist and physiologist at Bartlett Tree Experts. He works out of the Bartlett Tree Research Lab West in San Rafael, California. He explains that while trees that sequester carbon eventually decompose and re-release their carbon into the atmosphere, it’s the services they provide in life—such as shade and irrigation—that leave a net positive impact on the environment. 

"Who are the Kim Kardashians in our ecological network?” -Dr. Rachel Meyer 

So we're really trying to discover which plants really change the whole community network.. We still don't know the rules of complex communities, how they get built, how they're maintained and how they fall apart. And I think eDNA's a rapid way to advance ecological theory about how interdependent we all are on other species.” 

“In two to five years, I think there's going to be a lot more known about that jigsaw puzzle. There's an extremely low risk pursuit to do this biodiverse orientated gardening, and it's probably got immune benefits via gut microbiota and other pathways. “

We are talking about the microbiome and Dr. Martin Breed helps us imagine the microscopic, the microbiome inhabits, the soil, the air, and ultimately breaks into our own personal space to connect our bodies to everything around us.

Martin Breed is a lecturer in biology at Flinders University, in Adelaide, South Australia.

Find his research on Vertical Stratification in Urban Green Space Aerobiomes here.

The Butterflyway Project is the David Suzuki Foundation’s award-winning project led by volunteers, Butterfly Rangers, and helped by residents in local communities, bringing nature home to neighborhoods throughout Canada, one butterfly-friendly planting at a time.

Today’s guest, Winnie Hwo, is taking a very particular approach to the problem of insect decline to mobilize people and take action. She is Senior Public Engagement Specialist and one of the David Suzuki Foundation staff responsible for the Butterflyway initiative and is the project lead for British Columbia.

“The younger bracket of people, the demographic that is coming into power…they may actually have more practical impact on this whole issue than all of us aging idealists, the ex-hippies who didn't believe in cars and so on.” Kim Sorvig  

We hear a somewhat controversial perspective on managing fire risk around homes and properties. We discuss a compelling solution: transitional landscape from human habitation to transitional spaces and then into forest. 

Our guest, Kim Sorvig, is a research associate professor at the University of New Mexico and a George Pearl fellow, which is an honor given to professionals whose work encourages discourse and positive change in architecture, planning, and historic preservation.

Read an excerpt from Sustainable Landscape Construction, Third Edition, Principle 2: Heal Injured Soils and Sites: Restore Forests and Coexist with Wildfire

“I don't want to beat people over the head and say, you must conserve all of your water in a bucket, and this is the way to do it. I want them to do it because they want to see that water go down the runnel and they want to see the rain chain and celebrate it.” - Haven Kiers

We address multi-dimensional resilient landscapes. Nature HEALS stands for health, engagement, aesthetics, landscapes, and sustainability.

Haven Kiers is an assistant professor of Landscape Architecture at UC Davis. 

“And when I say ecosystem function, I mean, functions that are important for human survival. This is not just because I think ecology is cool and native plants are neat, but I think I want a world where my children and my grandchildren will survive.” - Tom Kaye

We are talking about how wild plant populations are responding to climate change and what humans, both ecologists, and home gardeners, might do to encourage healthy and diverse ecosystems.

Tom Kaye is the executive director at the Institute for Applied Ecology in Corvallis, Oregon where his team is working to conserve native species of plants and animals, and doing ecosystem restorations.

“Let's envision that beautiful green future where humans and nature live together in spite of the dense human population that's coming and let's manifest something better.” - Clayton Tschudy

Our guest brings us a great example of the challenges and opportunities that are present, where a biodiversity hotspot, and a densely populated human settlement meet. It is radical innovation towards a futurist vision for the integration of humanity and nature.

Clayton Tschudy is the executive director of San Diego Canyonlands.