In the heart of our project stood a lone Bradford Pear that has been the subject of debate for years. On the one hand Bradford Pears need to be eradicated--we've been slaying the offspring of this tree for years. Rachel up at Rachel's Native Plants has been removing them to build her woodland gardens. On the other hand is the acute need for shade. You can put up shade cloth. And umbrellas. And metal structures. But nothing beats the shade of a tree. My buddy Andy Erickso

Candace Hunziker is a force of nature. She's a newly elected Pittsboro Town Commissioner who wants to change the world. And yes. She has pink hair. Candace putzes about in AI. This isn't actually a picture of us eradicating--but perhaps it is the future of flyers. Please Join us on Saturday, February 21st at 10:00 at the Plant--220 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro, for an "Invasive Plant Eradication Day." Katy from Pittsboro Parks and Rec is loading up on equipment: weed wrenches/

Last weekend was supposed to be our one year anniversary Gala for the Tree Museum. Cancelled due to ice event. Rescheduled for today. This is my view from my desk at home. Rats. Fair Game finally got its Black Walnut Whiskey legal--after two years of trying--and we were supposed to release it at the Gala. I suppose it will keep. I accidentally did a deep dive into the events in Minneapolis, thanks to Mark Barroso's Chatham Dispatch . My coping strategy when the world is on

Last Monday night at the Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioner's meeting, Park's and Rec introduced a plan for Robeson Creek Park which surrounds the Plant on two sides. In my view it was a "swing and a miss." Let's not build a "kayak canoe water access" for instance, on a creek that is not paddleable. And if we cut a single tree to make a spot for "Food Truck Parking," in a town with plenty of food truck parking, we would be fools indeed. I was unable to attend--got the w

This time of year our eradication efforts are in full swing. We have three weed wrenches and a backhoe deployed in Moncure. And a weed wrench and a skidsteer popping privet at the Plant. This year Amy Allen from Rewild Within will be leading nature walks. Reserve your spot before they are gone--limit 20 people per tour. A bunch of non-profits will be tabling. Trees for the Triangle will be here, giving away free trees and doing a planting demonstration. The American Ch

The folks at Rachel's Native Plants just delivered a new stack of placards that the Tree Museum will use to claim large specimen trees throughout the campus at the Plant. This time of year we are replacing bareroot trees that didn't make it, inside the fence where trees are safe from whitetails. We are planting new trees at Little Pond Gardens. With these placards we will bring attention to those trees that have endured pressure from rabbits, deer and invasive species to be

This is stand of loblolly pines that grows in the constructed wetland next to the Tree Museum. It was taken by Bob, of Bill and Bob--the twins that like to drink beer on BMC Brewing's south patio. Last winter I spent some time in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, where they have built an entire economy around sunsets (and surfing). Each night the beach fills up with a thousand people who make the trip to watch the sunset on the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps sunset tourism should begin at home

The week before Chestnut Carnival is sort of like "chestnut playtime." Here comes a chestnut Macaroon--best cookie I've ever eaten--the maker wondering about getting space at the Plant. Meadow knocked out these chestnut cookies--along with a remarkable Castagnaccio. Redtail Grains in Mebane is bringing out a new pancake mix, based on 25% chestnut flour from Route 9 Cooperative in Ohio. BMC Brewing has stockpiled a chestnut brown ale for the occasion. At Fair Game Beverag

2025 looks like a mast year for hickory nuts. I used to make hickory "milk" from nuts that fell in Scott's yard. His tree has been swallowed whole by English Ivy. When it succumbed the neighborhood lost its most prolific hickory source. I don't have a good source for hickory nuts--the hickories at my place are in the woods and when the harvest is on I always lose out to wildlife. Best to have a yard, or a driveway where you can spot the fruit when it drops. George has a tre

When I moved to Chatham in 1990, the land I bought came with a farmhouse they threw in for free. One day when the sellers and I were out...

In 2010 the Town of Pittsboro opened Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park adjacent to Powell Place. It was the brain child of Paul Horne, then...

Last Thursday night 31 people showed up at the Fair Game Wheelhouse for a second "edition" of Greenway Conversations. Earlier that day...

It doesn't look like much right now--but I think this is huge. It's a yellowwood tree ( Cladrastis kentukea ) planted by Chatham County...

I just finished Marc Berman's wonderful new book, Nature and the Mind . Although he appears to be a scientist first, and an author...

Enrique Vega (1952-2018) once operated a thriving metal studio on the other side of Jordan Lake. He was the founder of the ArtMetal...

I plucked this image off Next Door. Two things struck me about the post: The writer calculated the number of acres of hardwoods that...

This just in from Josh, Chair of the Pittsboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board:

Over at the Guild, an apartment complex in Chatham Park behind the Hampton Inn, rises Theresa Arico's larger than life mosaic entitled...

I dragged my maps down to West End restaurant last Wednesday and had a fantastic meeting with a couple of dozen greenway/tree...

Taylor Hobbs is a renowned local architect. When he was serving on the board of the Chatham Arts Council in 2017 he commissioned this...