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Biodiversity TipsBuilding Resilience this Fallfor a Renewable BiodiversityHarvestAs fall unfolds and day lengthgrows shorter, there is time againto think past the immediate tasks athand and consider future directions forpreserving the health of the land, andits capacity to renew, and for exploringopportunities to restore long gonebeneficial wildlife. Here are some keyareas of biodiversity to ponder on asthe nights grow longer:Restoring Riparian CorridorsExpanding the frame beyond thewell-ordered crop rows and taking ina much more complex view, one thatincludes the riparian corridor adjacentto an almond orchard, and thatpatch of willows along the neighbor’sstream, means recognizing benefitslike water purification from the filter-Examples of Riparian Corridoring capacity of grass and willows andpest suppression afforded by the beneficialnative habitat.Think Multi-DimensionallyDurability and resilience involve viewinga farm multi-dimensionally, notingthe “stacking” of ecosystem services.Picture a network of interconnectedwetlands, grass filter strips, hedgerows,and riparian buffers dotting the regionof your farm and serving multiple roles:defending against flooding hazards,increasing groundwater recharge, diminishingnutrient and fertilizer runoff,and decontaminating pathogens inwater, all while containing plants thatalso attract beneficial insects and otherwildlife (Fiedler et al. 2008).Talk to Your NeighborsBuilding a community committed tobiodiversity can help coordinate andmultiply your efforts by restoring amatrix that provides durability fororganic farmers and the capacity forchange; if one part is weakened, theothers fill in.Example of HedgerowsReturn Areas of Marginal Productionto a Natural StateAllowing low-producing, marginalportions of the farm to be taken outof cultivation and restored to a morenatural state, seeding an erosionpronedrainage with native grasses,or working with a local conservationgroup to establish a habitat corridorfor wildlife movement through agriculturalland can increase naturalenemy function and enhance the resilienceof your farm.Care about the ClimatePermanent vegetation like shrubsand trees in a hedgerow can serve ascarbon storage units. And scientistsrecently discovered that adding regionallyappropriate plant biodiversitytends to create soil conditions ideal forpopulations of methanotroph bacteria.These bacteria oxidize methane, a gasthat contributes to global warming by afactor twenty-one times that of carbondioxide (Price et al. 2004).Plant California NativesThe end of fall is a great time for plantingnatives in California. Thirsty youngroots will benefit from the coming rainyseason and have a chance to establishthemselves before the onslaught of adry summer. Beneficial insects will bedrawn to floral resources and a permanentshelter. And a few more strands ofbiodiversity will have been added tostrengthen the capacity of your farm toremain productive for many seasons tocome.Standard native shrubs and forbs usedfor California hedgerows include buckwheat(Eriogonum spp.), California lilac(Ceanothus spp.), coffeeberry (Rhamnuscalifornica), coyote brush (Baccharispilularis), deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens),saltbush (Atriplex spp.), toyon(Heteromeles arbutifolia), and yarrow(Achillea millefolium). Typical Californianative trees planted in hedgerows, windbreak,and along water bodies includealder (Alnus spp.), black walnut (Juglanscalifornica), coast redwood (Sequoiasempervirens) cottonwood (Populusspp.), incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens),oak (Quercus spp.), sycamore(Platanua racemosa), box elder (Acer negundo),big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum),and willow (Salix spp.). It is bestto determine the area-appropriatenessof these native plants for your region byusing the climate zones in the “SunsetPlanting to attract beneficial insectsWestern Garden Book.” For more informationon hedgerows, see CommunityAlliance with Family Farmers hedgerowmanual: www.caff.org/programs/farmscaping/Hedgerow.pdfReferences:Fiedler, A., Landis, D., Wratten, S., 2008.Maximizing ecosystem services from conservationbiological control: The role of habitat management.Biological Control. 45, 254–271.Price, S.J., Kelliher, F.M., Sherlock, R.A., Tate,K.R., Condron, L.M., 2004. Environmental andchemical factors regulating methane oxidation ina New Zealand forest soil. Australian Journal ofSoil Research 42, 767–776.CCOF Certified Organic Magazine - Fall 200821