We see "Sustainable Land Management" as a balance of actions, stewardship practices and long-term planning for the coexistence of humans and nature -- both short-term and long-term. We subscribe to an approach that allows ecosystems and natural features to be preserved as much as possible while allowing for the provisions and needs of humans.
 

The publication Backyard  Conservation states that "There are nearly 2 billion acres of land in the conterminous United States. About 70 percent of that land is privately owned and its care is in the hands of those who live and work on it. Most of that land, 1.4 billion acres, is managed by farmers and ranchers. More than 92 million acres of land -- an area the size of California -- is privately developed and much of it is tended by homeowners."  Whether one lives in an urban area or in a rural area with many acres, that leaves us with a great responsibility to carefully plan out the use of our land with an awareness of how our gardening and/or farming practices will affect the quality of ecological systems.


Land Conservation in Your Back Yard
 

Many environmentalists push the idea that urban developments with high population density are an effective way of preserving agricultural land and maximizing energy efficiency. Still other environmentalists think that sustainable eco-villages combining habitation and farming with close proximity between producers and consumers as the only way to provide greater sustainability.

Urban ecosystems are dominated by environments built by humans with buildings, power supply systems,  water supply systems and roads. The urban areas are built mostly on pavement and other hard surfaces that don’t absorb rainfall. Cities were built to meet human needs, often by ignoring nature and separating humans from the natural world.

 

• If you live in the city, using available city space like community gardens or rooftop gardens for cooperative food production is a great way to increase your sustainability in the city.
   
• Create a planting strip in that area between the sidewalk and the street to help avoid erosion and filter stormwater runoff. Check local regulations first - you are often required to "maintain" this area but there can be restrictions on how you may accomplish this. You should use xeriscaping principles whenever possible and use a drip watering system where irrigation is needed to avoid runoff.
   
• Use open-grid paving systems or permeable pavers for driveways or parking spaces.
   
• Use rain barrels or cisterns to capture rainwater for landscape use.
   
• Water before 9 AM and after 7 PM to minimize evaporation.
   
• Water lawns no more than 1” per week in summer.
   
• Plant native trees in your yard and avoid the use of invasive plant species.
   
• Never pour anything down storm drains!

  
  
   

If you live in the suburbs, your yard or garden is an extension of your home. You can feel good about improving the environment around you with the following guidelines and suggestions:

• Plant trees, making a conscious effort to choose species that are native to your area. Trees provide homes to many different kinds of wildlife and can reduce your heating and cooling costs. In addition to providing beauty and color to your home's landscape, trees help clean the air!
   
• Attract wildlife by planting shrubs and other plants, using bird feeders and installing bird houses -- all of which provide food and shelter. Bees and other pollinators bring us one third of every bite of food that we eat. You can give them a helping hand by making sure that your garden provides food and shelter that they need to survive. Check out  Pollinator Friendly Planting Guides to download a free planting guide for your region.
   
• Install multiple water barrels around your home to capture water for washing cars, watering flower beds, trees and gardens. You will be surprised how many hundreds of gallons of FREE water just one rainfall will provide.
   
• Implement an integrated pest control management system that minimizes the use of pesticides to control weeds and pests. Integrated Pest Management [IPM] is an ecological agricultural method that seeks to considerably reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides by managing pests at an acceptable level with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. These methods are performed in three stages: prevention, observation, and intervention. You can contact your state's Cooperative Extension Service or local university for information specific to your location.
   
• Consider installing a drip-irrigation system in your planted beds and water lawns no more than 1” per week in summer.
   
• Terrace steep slopes to help prevent erosion and avoid stormwater runoff  while giving you more usable planting and recreation areas. If you have a sloping yard but need a budget-conscious solution or don't have the energy or time to implement full-scale terracing, try Eyebrow Terracing.
   
• Create a mini-wetland in your back yard. The wetland will temporarily store, filter and clean runoff water from your roof and lawn. It can also provide a great habitat for butterflies, birds, salamanders, bees, toads & frogs. This is especially important in areas you identify as draining into your local creeks and storm drains which then feed rivers, bays, etc. These wetland areas filter unwanted nutrients and contaminants that will otherwise feed algae and other undesirable species in the regional water system.
   
• Encourage your community or town to establish grassy or vegetated swales to filter stormwater runoff from rooftops, streets, parking lots and other impervious surfaces. The swales are a graded and engineered landscape feature appearing as a linear, shallow, open channel with trapezoidal or parabolic shape. The gentle sloping depressions of the swales are planted with either grass or dense vegetation and slows down the runoff, filters it and then allows it to infiltrate into the ground. The swale can look like a typical landscaped area and can include check dams to help slow and detain the flow of water. Grassy swales can be sodded or hydro seeded with a native grass [or mixture of grasses] that are drought-tolerant. Additionally, dry swales should be mowed twice a year - keeping it at a height no lower than 3-4 inches. Plants chosen for a vegetated swale should be sufficiently hardy to withstand the most extreme conditions that may occur in the local region, have a deep root system and be a vigorous grower. Both types of swales should be inspected twice a year for debris and sediment that can prevent water flow or restrict growth.

Land Conservation on Your Farm or Rural Property

Conservation efforts by farmers, ranchers and other homeowners who have more than 4-5 acres to manage benefits people, wildlife and the environment.
 

• Support the local wildlife on your property!

  • Bats - help control insect populations with their nightly runs for "takeout". Placing a bat house or two around the property will help them hang out.
     

  • Birds - are always a very good sign of a healthy environment on your property. Provide bird houses, native plantings with berries and seeds and avoid destroying natural nesting areas.
     

  • Bees - are vitally important to help pollinate many plant species. Attract bees with flowering plants [especially blue & yellow]. You can also make a Bee House [especially helpful in fruit orchards] to give the Mason Bee cover and a place to raise their young.
     

  • Butterflies - also help pollinate native plants and add beauty to your landscape. Provide a good habitat for them with nectar-rich flowering plants, a shallow dish of pebbles with water and avoid the use of pesticides around plants you have for the butterflies.
    
     

• Remove invasive exotic plant species and research native plant species for your area. Some links to get you started on this are Invasive.org, PlantNative and Recommended Native Plants by State.
   
• Plant windbreaks and grouped tree plantings to improve air quality by capturing dust, slowing wind that might blow across large crop fields eroding topsoil, provide shelter for livestock and provide food, cover and nesting areas for many wildlife species.
   
• Keep your riparian areas healthy by protecting trees and other vegetation along your water's edge. Riparians are the green, vegetated areas on each side They serve many many important functions, including purifying water by removing sediments and other contaminants. If you have water on your land, a first step to start the transformation of a mowed lawn at your water's edge into a buffer is to stop mowing a strip along the water's edge. Gradually, plants will begin to emerge, from flowers and shrubs to trees. You can also consider planting native wildflowers, shrubs and trees to give the area a head start. If you want to have a view of your river, stream or pond, work carefully and selectively to thin out the low-growing shrubs and flowers in a small area or two. This can provide a view and access to your water while still protecting your buffer and native wildlife.
   
• Establish a wetland on your land to attract wildlife and help filter chemicals, sediment and excess fertilizer or pesticides. Some have described wetlands as “nature’s kidneys” because water and contaminants filter through the wetlands before seeping into groundwater or streams. Wetlands can provide a habitat for birds and local wildlife, help hold back flood waters, filter excess nutrients, chemicals and sediment runoff and add an attractive addition to your property.
   
• Implementing the terracing of steep slopes is designed to slow down or prevent the rapid run-off of irrigation water or to prevent soil erosion and make sloped land convenient for agriculture. Used around the world for a millennia because it is a very effective way to hold the soil in place on hillsides, they are often formed into multiple terraces, giving a stair-stepped appearance to the land. The earthen ridges built around a hillside on the contour cut a long slope into shorter slopes, preventing water from building to a highly erosive force. Terraces can be planted with a variety of materials. Grass will help provide erosion control and a nesting area for birds. Farmers often use strip cropping as an erosion control method on many farms, planting alternate strips of corn, cotton, sugar beets or soybeans with strips of hay.
  
   
• Consider designating portions of your land to remain natural by entering into a conservation easement. This is a voluntary, legally-binding agreement that will limit certain types of land use or prevent development on your property in the future.

Protecting Your Home From Wildfire

Fire is a natural part of our environment and forest fires were occurring long before homes or communities began to be built near more rural and undeveloped areas. We can live more safely in this environment and reduce the wildfire threat by implementing proper management practices. The Jeremiah Ridge project is located in Alabama and wildfires occur regularly in the state. Because of this, it is important for us to implement strategies to protect us from wildfire. Wherever you live, these prudent and common sense practices will protect your home and property and may have a positive effect on your insurance rates.
 

One of the most important things one can do is to create a "defensible space". A defensible space is the area between a house and an oncoming wildfire. The vegetation in the defensible space has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and to provide an opportunity for firefighters to effectively defend your home.
 

• Manage the vegetation around your home by calculating the size of defensible space needed, reducing dead vegetation and providing separation between plants.
   
• Use fire resistant building materials when doing renovations or building a new home.
   
• Remove ladder fuels.
   
• Work to make your defensible space lean, clean and green.
   
• Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from all structures and clear flammable vegetation.
   
• Locate gas tanks [butane & propane] at least 30 feet from any structure.
   
• Remove any branches within 15 feet of your chimney.
   
• Implement firescaping - fire-smart landscape design - to protect your home.

For more detailed information, click on the links below. These are great resources prepared by the Alabama Forestry Commission but the suggestions made can be used for a home in any state.

Living With Fire: A Guide for Protecting Homes From Wildfire

50 Ways to Make Your Woodland Home Firewise