NURSE LOGS and ECO-ART 1997

Those who live in the Philadelphia area know what I am talking about: it is a most recent art form which enhances the beauty of the landscape, while at the same time increasing the vitality of the living soil, the trees, and the associated organisms.

In general, nurse logs return to the soil some of the elements taken from it during growth and, as a source of food, enhance enzymes e.g. those which turn cellulose into sugar. They also serve as water reservoirs as well as shelters for beneficial fungi.

We have been working on this project since 1993 and our contribution to the arts in modern arboriculture has met with wide-spread approval. In the program FEED THE CHILDREN, FEED THE SOIL we donate the profit from the sale of the logs to local charities concerned with e.g. organic baby food.

A few more words about some myths. Contrary to rumors, nurse logs do not constitute a fire hazard once soil contact is made. They do not spread diseases. We do not take the logs from forests but rather from 'take-downs' in urban areas.

This oak log was an addition to this landscape in 2005

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