#WildRegeneration
"What continues to be clear is that politics will not solve the problems that are placing Planet Earth at risk. Now more than ever you and I need to put together systems and tangible actions that will restore, regenerate and steward this planet….one small place at a time. Humanity needs to embrace the long view. We need to make 300 year plans and put them into action. We must grow more old growth habitats because they become a producer of ‘living air’. It will not be long before scientists will be able to measure the amount of living microbes that travel in the currents of our air; much like they travel in the currents of our oceans, as part of communities of plankton. ‘Living air’ is being replaced by ‘dead air’ as toxins poison it and thus we are being deeply impacted…in fact, the whole planet is becoming deeply impacted. It is our forests and wild environments that produce living air…and it’s up to you and me to retain that natural life-force process.
We need to plant new old growth forests and natural habitat. More wildcrafters are required to protect, seed and grow this wild habitat so that natural systems can regenerate and wild biodiversity can thrive".
- Don Elzer, founder of the Wildcraft Forest
In 2015, the Wildcraft Forest School began to provide students with an “extension program” described as an organized exchange of information and the deliberate transfer of skills where students apply work, research, advocacy, stewardship and problem solving within bio-regions, communities and ecosystems. This effort helps to facilitate interplay and nurture synergies within a vast complex of capacity building efforts, which then enables change in individuals, communities, cooperatives and enterprise.
In 2019, the Wildcraft Forest Foundation was registered as a nonprofit and is tasked with overseeing and creating partnerships that will expand the school’s learning and extension programs as well as generating resources for facility improvements.
Through volunteer efforts and through the sale of Wildcraft Forest tea, products and educational services we deliver regenerative efforts that are described by many to be “good work for the living planet, places and people”. So every time you support us, it helps us with various efforts.
Wild Pollination Efforts
We are seeding forest clearcut areas with native flowering plant species so that more pollinators will be supported within these areas. We are supporting honey bee pollination by increasing the population of wild flowers within bee foraging range which will aid in the health of bee colonies and the honey that is produced.
Wildcraft Forest Restoration and Regenerative Efforts
Oak Moss Propagation
We have created a method by which Oak Moss lichen can be propagated and supported in its wild habitat. Oak Moss is a primary ingredient within perfumes and demand for the lichen is placing biodiversity at risk in some areas around the world – so it’s important that Oak Moss be propagated.
Meadowland Restoration
We are creating new models that will restore cattle pasture areas and turn them into natural meadowlands capable of supporting more pollinators and returning biodiversity. Our regenerative models also provide opportunities for cattle producers to transition to wild flower crops that are in demand as natural ingredients in food, medicines, nutriceuticals and cosmetics.
Dennison Bonneau Lake Monitoring
Now a provincial park, this area is rich in sub-alpine habitat but it remains remote to visitors but not to logging. We are raising the profile of nature-based tourism in the area so that it will be monitored and protected from resource extraction.
Barb Lake Forest Wetlands
Restoration and Monitoring
Barb Lake represents a primary forest wetland that is rich in biodiversity. Currently we are restoring areas of this lake and wetland where it can be used for studying and exploring aquatic ecosystems. We make special efforts to help restore privately held lands so that they can be returned to the wild.
Sequoia Research and Propagation
We study climate change, and we are aware that ecosystems may want to move as climate shifts. We are researching and testing Sequoia trees as a species that may transition into the Monashee.
Seed Guild Gathering
We collect and save seeds from wild species and retain them in “Mother Tree guilds” so that a “plant memory” can be retained within the guild and the forest.
Wild Forest Seed Education and Distribution
We educate and develop systems of distribution so that people can rewild their communities. For example inside the package fold of Wildcraft Forest “Yasei Shinrin Yoku Tea” is a wild seed guild – that people can plant and grow. Each guild has a number so that they can go online and know what seeds they are growing and how to start them – we also explain the power of the seed guild.
Interpretive Trail Development
We continue to create models and systems for interpretive trails and we pilot those systems at the Wildcraft Forest.
Habitat Protection Advocacy
Through media campaigns and publications we educate, inform and advocate for the restoration of wild habitat; we demand at least a 300-year view of planning and we seek to re-wild contemporary culture. We do a lot of this through our own e-magazine.
Regenerative Incubation
We create tangible actions and products that super-localize diet and lifestyle. We pool efforts and resources to incubate new products and services that will have a dramatic and positive long-term effect for planet Earth and the human experience.
Education and Outreach
Through the Wildcraft Forest School we teach people to become stewards of planet Earth, and by doing so we create a ripple effect whereby we reach more people. Here’s the promise we make.
contact the forest
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