About the Plant Sanctuary

This is how the United Plant Savers describe the Ohio Botanical Sanctuary
"This 370-acre farm has many of the elements of a plant sanctuary already in place. The land is 50% mature diverse native hardwood forest and 50% fields. Extensive botanical assays have been performed to determine the resources present on the land. To date over 500 species of plants, over 120 species of trees and over 200 species of fungi have been identified. Half of the 'UpS At Risk' native medicinal plants are thriving in abundance on this land. Large communities of goldenseal, American ginseng, black and blue cohosh, and grand old medicinal tree species such as white oak and slippery elm flourish in abundance on this reclaimed land. The UPS sanctuary is a living model for protecting diversity, and ensuring that the rich traditions of the North American and Euro-American folk medicine continue to thrive."

Why I am going

One of my aims is to find out more about Eastern US medicinal plants, to better understand what would grow well in England. I have been involved in setting up the Holt Wood Herbs project which is about creating a sustainable medicinal tree and shrub plantation after felling a conifer plantation. Trees like Sitka Spruce were originally planted in Holt Wood in the 1960's for timber, although now the commercial market for such soft wood is not so good. The trees needed to be felled sooner or later, and as this picture of neighbouring trees shows, some were falling over due to the closeness of planting and shallow root structure. Our project is aimed at showing how the land can be replanted after felling, with both native and introduced trees.

What to take with me seems an impossible task. I have a heap of things and there is a weight limit on the plane!

United Plant Savers

United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary is located on 378-acres in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio (Rutland, Ohio). The Sanctuary and working farm is a center for native medicinal plant research, education, propagation and a germplasm repository.For information about United Plant Savers in the United States see http://unitedplantsavers.org/