Resources

Do less for a change!



Hello, I hope this finds you and your trees happy and healthy!


Let me ask you...


Do you do more yardwork than you want to?


Are you overwhelmed by managing your landscape and property?


I have been working in the tree care industry since 1996 and in that time I have noticed that my clients often have the desire to care for their land but may not know what to do to keep it healthy.


a result they end up doing more than they need to which sometimes leads to unintended consequences.


When my clients ask me what they need to do with their landscape I usually find myself repeating the same phrase...,


“The less you do the better.”


Of course I don’t get a lot of work with that slogan but I am not interested in inventing problems, I am interested in real solutions.


In tree care and landscaping in general there are a few simple ways to significantly reduce your upkeep and maintenance.


If you want to find out more about how to do less, you can read on or contact me for a consultation.


Ben Sanford

360-461-1504

www.tarzanstreecare.com

tarzansoffice@gmail.com




The single biggest secret to doing less yard work is a simple change in perspective.


What does that mean?


Here is an example.


I have helped a number of clients who were wanting me to remove trees because they were looking for a "view". Instead of costly tree removal, I was able to help them find a new appreciation for their trees as part of the view.


This simple shift with some in their definition of what was a beautiful view saved thousands of dollars, prevented critical erosion issues, and preserved healthy ecosystems.


Control vs. Care

When we shift from a mindset of control to a mindset of care, we have won half the battle- in fact the battle disappears and we are left with much less to do.


The desire for control over wild nature is often displayed in yards by perfectly trimmed grass, painfully pruned trees, and well defined borders and artificial edges that resist the creative flow of nature.


This extreme level of order requires a huge amount of work to maintain and disrupts the natural relationships in living systems leading to sick and struggling landscapes.


By shifting our perspective to caring for the land, we can help the natural processes of life thrive with very little effort. Of course this leads to a landscape that looks very different than one of extreme control- it is alive, dynamic, and healthy.


Transition areas

One of the simplest ways to shift your landscape practices and appearance is to allow transition areas to form.


What does that mean? What is a transition area?


In the rest of nature, transition areas are richly diverse edges which are found in between different ecosystems. For example: where a field turns into a forest, or a forest connects to a river, or even the "green belt" areas in towns and cities.


Transition areas occur at smaller scales too, such as where grass meets gravel or mowed grass meets field or shrubs and trees.


Sometimes these areas need to be defined for our needs such as in a garden, however these transition areas often take care of themselves and can allow for healthy connections between living things if we can appreciate them as part of the landscape.


If you are interested in learning more about doing less, I am offering consultations to help you discover the peace and beauty of working with nature while meeting your needs as a land owner.


Take care of yourself and your land,


Ben Sanford "Tarzan"

360-683-7641

360-461-1504

www.tarzanstreecare.com

tarzansoffice@gmail.com

US Forest Service Publications

tree_owners_manual_print_res.pdf
whycutatree-web-book.pdf
backyard_woods_lr.pdf
02_na-tp-03-03_urban_tree_risk_management_508c_v2_20171027.pdf
first_look_decay.pdf

International Society of Arboriculture

Tree risk checklist.pdf

Tree Photo Album

"Radiance"


Sequim Client

"Ghost"


My Land

"Beginning"


Redwoods

"Soul"


Lake Crescent

"Life"


Kalaloch

"Oneness"


Big Cedar

"Ancients"


Redwoods

"Elders"


Sol Duc

"Love"


Oahu

"Portal"


Oahu

"Harmony"


Lake Crescent

"Guardian"


My Land