Tips, tricks, and a quick peek into the everyday life of the conservation district.
Bow Hill Blueberries co-owner, Ezra Ranz, can list off several benefits of planting a Wet Feet Farming buffer along the slough bordering the farm, but there’s one reason that rises above the rest.
“It’s all for the Bumble Bees,” said Ezra. And he does mean Bumble Bees specifically.
Bountiful Buffers (sometimes referred to as working buffers or harvestable riparian buffers) combine multiple agroforestry practices to create a riparian buffer that achieves ecological benefits while also producing food, medicine, or materials.
Read MoreIf you meet Melissa Correia and Joanna Kenyon from Tangled Thicket Farm, you may discover that they value something that is hard to quantify, but that science is starting to prove is deeply important: connection. Our connection with each other, our community, the natural world, and also the connections that exist between the plants, animals, and fungi within ecosystems.*
Read MoreNick Pate, owner of Raising Cane Ranch in Snohomish, has incorporated several agroforestry practices on his farm. His food forest also serves as a harvestable, multi-functional, or working buffer. The trees and shrubs in the food forest essentially act as a second layer to his native forest riparian buffer, which borders the Snohomish River.
Read MoreOur resident agroforester Carrie Brausieck has been researching, implementing, and educating on agroforestry in the region for over half a decade, but it’s only been the past two years that agroforestry has become widely noticed.
“We’re the only organization in the state that has an agroforestry program and a person on staff with an agroforestry title,” Carrie said. “Our program is leading the way for this innovative land use within our county and throughout the state.” Read on to learn about the work we've been doing in agroforestry.
Watch our new Working Buffers video to understand how planting trees and shrubs on your property can make a difference in soil health, water quality and habitat for birds and wildlife.
Read MoreToday we understand the importance of preserving habitat for other species and how those can actually benefit livestock on the range. One of the most prominent species in need of habitat preservation in our region is salmon.
Read MoreMany horse owners don’t realize how helpful native trees and shrubs can be on a horse property. People, wildlife (including our valuable native pollinator insects), horses, and the environment can all benefit from a landscape of native plants.
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Snohomish Conservation District | 528 91st Ave NE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258 | 425-335-5634
