The season of broom stewardship is here! Come on out for a day of forest stewardship centered on getting rid of French broom (see why below), delicious snacks, and community! 

Thank you to our friends at Sonoma County Ag + Open Space and City of Healdsburg for helping to make this stewardship event possible! 

What is French Broom?  

An invasive plant, French broom was brought to California in the last century for use in decorative gardens. Sadly, it soon took over, growing at fast rates and spreading seeds with abandon, thousands at a time. As a result, it’s taken over spots in the forest, where it crowds out native plants and acts as fuel ladders, allowing wildfire to reach into the canopy of the trees.  

Broom is also toxic to many wildlife species and doesn't make good forage. What these forest creatures do feed on is oak acorns, Douglas fir tips, understory grasses, and young oaks; removing broom helps these essential species to thrive! At Broomapulloza you’ll have a chance to make a difference with a few hours of getting that broom out of the ground and into a burn pile! The more hands we have, the more we can say “BUH-BYE BROOM!” 

What Can I Expect At this Whole Broomapulloza Thing?  

From the parking lot, we will hike 1-2 miles and pull French broom that we see along the way. You'll be able to choose between pulling broom seedlings by hand (we’ll provide the gloves), pulling heftier broom shrubs with a weed wench, and/or cutting them with saws and loppers.

We’ll go into more detail on the day of. We’ll also break for snacks provided by LandPaths!    

Directions: We will meet at 9am in the Villa Chanticleer Dog Park Parking Lot (west side of Fitch) and hike to the project site/s together. Here is the google link to the meeting location: Dog Park     

Does rain mean the workday is canceled? The stewardship workday will move forward if there is a light drizzle, but a torrential rainstorm will cancel.  Please call 707-544-7284 (then press 1) after 7am the morning of the stewardship day if the weather feels questionable. If you don't hear a notice of cancellation on the outgoing voice message, the stewardship day is moving forward.   

• Plenty of water, extra snacks if you need them, and backpack to hold your gear 
• Sturdy boots or shoes that can get muddy 
• Long pants and long sleeve shirts 
• Your own work gloves if you have them

What else do you need to know?  

• Expect to do a 2-mile round trip hike on a moderatly flat but well-graded trail.  
• You will be asked to sign a liability waiver
• No pets or smoking

THANK YOU, see you there!