About this Event
Come learn about the Landings Native Plant Microforest in Sarasota. It is a high-performance community reforestation project designed to restore biodiversity, filter runoff, and enhance urban resilience. Located within The Landings—a waterfront community along South Tamiami Trail known for managing the largest area of privately owned mangroves in the country—the microforest turns underutilized green space into a dense, rapidly maturing ecosystem.
Key Highlights of the Project
- With plots designed with more plants of various sizes, the project triggers shade competition. This forces young trees to stretch upward quickly, accelerating growth.
- Scale & Native Biodiversity: Installed in phases starting in late 2024 through 2025, the project features approximately 1,800 plants representing 60 distinct native Florida species—with planned expansions expanding the footprint close to a full acre.
- Soil & Sheet Mulching Prep: Prior to planting, volunteers created a simulated forest floor using a "mulch-cardboard layer cake". Cardboard suppresses invasive turf, while a heavy layer of wood-chip mulch fosters fungal networks and organic soil microbial activity essential for long-term health.
The microforest has already demonstrated dramatic growth—with early plantings shooting up from 3-foot saplings into a 15-foot canopy within a single season. Winding paths integrated through the pocket forest allow residents and local naturalists to walk through, observe caterpillar-to-butterfly life cycles, and experience native habitat restoration firsthand.
Douglas Booth
Doug Booth is the Chairman of the Nature Preserves Committee in the Landings where he has lived for over 25 years. He is a 66 year resident of Sarasota and his career spanned 45 years as a tradesman in high end drywall, plaster and framing. Doug brings his love of nature and his meticulous craftsmanship together as he stewards the Landings Preserves among other special projects.
Pamela Callender
Pamela Callender is a Sarasota-based interdisciplinary eco-artist, native plant landscape designer, and educator dedicated to regional conservation. She has been designing native plant landscapes and forests for about 4 years. Holding an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, she merges creative expression with environmental advocacy. Callender was the previous Art Curator at Fogartyville, as well as a recipient of the 2019 John Ringling Towers Grant. Her community impact extends beyond the gallery, and through her design business and collaborations with the Sarasota Audubon Society, she creates native habitats and leads educational workshops.
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Non-Members of FNPS may join us, but we encourage you to become a member:
https://www.fnps.org/support/membership
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Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/I9wg1jwZTCSbuAVEgL9IVA
Event venue & nearby stays
Selby Botanical Garden, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, United States
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