2020,
Oct/Nov
CO N S E RVAT I ON COR N E R
The Eleutheran
10,000 Trees for Eleuthera and Counting B y : D orlan C urtis J r . C ape E leuthera I sland S chool
Natural Mulch, Compost & Fertilizer - Just like a forest, fallen leaves are self-mulching and cover the soil on their own to retain moisture and their breakdown returns nutrients to the soil. Natural Pest Control- No chemicals required! Food
Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS) students preparing the ground for planting.
As our country and local communities continue to regroup in the wake of hurricanes and COVID-19, the Cape Eleuthera Island School and our Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) continue to look to nature to help mitigate the effects of climate change while tackling food insecurity. Over the past year and more recently during the national lockdown, we have made efforts to plant over 100 fruit trees to improve and create “food forests� which are simply gardens of edible plants and trees that mimic ecosystems found in nature. Trees play an important role in our ecosystem and continuous sustainable development due to their ability to absorb greenhouse gases and filter toxic emissions from the air released by our vehicles,
machinery and the open-air burning of waste at local dump sites. They in turn provide us with oxygen and clean air. As one navigates tree planting to create a food forest, there are seven layers that must be implemented in its design - the overstory (large trees that provide a canopy), the understory (smaller trees), the shrub layer, the herbaceous layer, the root layer (root vegetables), the ground cover layer (crops/leaves that cover the soil) and a vertical layer (vines and climbing plants). The benefits to be realised from food forests are as follows: High Productivity - High density planting of trees ensures high yields and encourages biodiversity that continuously produces food all year round.
forests can be home to natural predators like birds, lizards, wasps, and ladybugs which help to naturally eliminate certain vegetable garden pests without use of pesticides or toxic chemicals. P17
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