Chapters in Virginia

Ann Jurczyk of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will give a 30 minute talk about the “Tiny Forest” planting recently installed in Richmond's Fonticello Park, addressing how that project came together and how organizations in our area can get involved and engage in tiny forest plantings in appropriate spaces.  Following the talk, we will have 30 minutes for questions and discussion. 

“Tiny Forests”--sometimes called Pocket Forests, Mini Forests, or Miyawaki Forests--are relatively dense plantings of specific native trees within a small planting area. Based on a method developed by Japanese Botanist Akiro Miyawaki, Tiny Forests hold particular appeal in urban settings, which often benefit from the fast growth of the trees, the small footprint of the planting areas, and the manageable cost of Tiny Forest projects. 

Registrants for this program will receive a handout  with the plant list and plan for the Fonticello Tiny Forest. The program will be recorded, but access to the recording will be restricted to those who have registered for the program.

Want more information about Tiny Forests before the program? Check out the current (Summer 2025) issue of the Wild Ones Journal! The article “Pocket Forests” describes how a number of organizations, including the Wild Ones Ann Arbor Area Chapter, came together to create the Buhr Park Pocket Forest.  

Please register for this program through Ticketleap (Free). A few days before the program, chapter members and registrants will be sent a link to join online. 

Toni Pepin,  retired Professor of Biology at Virginia Western Community College, will give us a “bird's eye” view of native plants in our gardens. Come hear how we can help the birds and butterflies around us.

One of the joys of growing native plants is being able to share them with family, neighbors, and friends, helping to spread the availability of native habitat throughout the community. But if we're new to native plants (or gardening), we may not feel confident about when and how to dig them up or divide them! 

In this program, certified Virginia Master Naturalist Sheryl Smith will share practical knowledge and tips for dividing different types of native plants--useful information whether we are building out new beds in our own yards or preparing for a plant share! 

Dr. Shannon Bell, Professor of Sociology, Virginia Tech, is the project director of The Forest Botanicals Region Living Monument, which celebrates the historical and present-day traditions and relationships that many different Appalachian peoples have long held with the bountiful medicinal herbs and forest foods that can be found growing wild throughout the Appalachian woodland understory. 

She will talk about why the monument was created, and the histories of Appalachian peoples' longstanding relationships with our woodland medicinal plants and forest foods. 

More information about the Living Monument and an online exhibit can be found here: https://forestbotanicalsregion.vt.domains/exhibits/show/online-exhibit

Dr. Bell is an environmental sociologist and Appalachian Studies scholar whose current research projects focus on forest-based traditions and lifeways in Central Appalachia.

Fall is a wonderful time to collect seeds and prepare your native plant garden for winter. Sharon Burnham, President of the Roanoke Region Chapter, will give an overview of seed collection methods and preservation, along with the best practices for trees, shrubs, and perennials to help them – and the insects we love – have a successful winter.

You must register through the Salem Library.