Before the Conservancy can restore Tregaron to Ellen Biddle Shipman’s original vision, the neglect of decades must be remedied. The Conservancy continues to retain the Care of Trees to perform that work. Over the last several months, COT has removed fallen, dead or invasive trees, pruned overgrown canopies, widened and mulched the bridle paths, treated the poison ivy, and generally removed the debris that has overtaken the property. The improved order and openness are evident in even a short walk through the Tregaron landscape.
The Conservancy’s Board recently approved the next essential step in this clean-up work, the reclamation of a large section of the property – the Twin Oak meadow –adjacent to open Klingle Road, and the badly overgrown Lily Pond that is the centerpiece of Tregaron’s Woodland Garden section. The exhaustive chore list for the Lily Pond work includes removing fallen trees, invasive plants (including 27 young Norway maples), honeysuckle shrubs, exotic vines, wood debris, and iron fencing; widening and stabilizing some of the paths to prevent future erosion; and mowing around the cleared Pond to begin returning the area to an open vista.
Work of this quality is not cheap; the Care of Trees contracts — the most important and immediate funding obligations of the Conservancy — total over $200,000.
