Last week, the Ocean County College Foundation hosted Basil Camu for their Fall 2025 Blauvelt Speaker Series. The Ocean County College Foundation features intellectuals, entertainers, scientists, authors, and artists as speakers in this signature series, which is partially funded by the generosity of the late Bradford Thomas & Eleanor G. Blauvelt and the Wintrode Family Foundation.
Camu is a co-founder of Leaf & Limb, a tree care company in Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as Project Pando, a non-profit that aims to connect people to trees. Leaf & Limb is committed to nurturing trees and restoring ecosystem balance by focusing on planting, preserving, and promoting tree growth to support biodiversity, clean air, soil health, and a healthier planet. Project Pando is the non-profit extension of Leaf & Limb, sharing native trees with individuals and organizations who need them. “We do this by operating a native seed hub that works with our community to collect seeds from native trees and shrubs. We grow these seeds into saplings and then give them away for free,” (Camu, 2025).
At the Blauvelt Speaker Series, Camu shared practical ways we can all help heal the Earth. He began with five simple actions: planting more native trees (especially saplings), saving existing trees, performing structural pruning, promoting healthy soil, and encouraging a rich diversity of life. He explained that saplings are inexpensive and develop stronger roots than container plants, and that many trees people assume need removal can often be saved. As he put it, a 350-year-old oak tree is irreplaceable. By pruning properly, we can help trees grow stronger, and by maintaining healthy soil, we support healthy plants. Leaving the leaves to decompose naturally provides free fertilizer, and sometimes being a little lazy with yardwork is the best thing you can do for your landscape.
Camu also highlighted two bigger, but incredibly impactful, actions: replacing lawns with Piedmont prairies and planting pocket forests or thickets. Lawns, while seemingly better than pavement, have shallow roots that do little to manage stormwater or store carbon. Prairies, on the other hand, feature deep-rooted native plants that absorb more carbon, reduce runoff, and only need to be mowed once a year. Similarly, pocket forests and thickets require little to no maintenance and create essential habitat for local wildlife.
Camu was excited to learn about the Jersey-Friendly Yards Program, hosted by the Barnegat Bay Partnership at Ocean County College. Leaf & Limb shares many of the same values as Jersey-Friendly Yards, including a strong focus on community education, hands-on events, and promoting the many benefits of native plants to support healthier local ecosystems.
Camu’s book, “From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape,” is available from Leaf & Limb. The eBook can be downloaded for free, and the hardcover copy is $10.75 (only the amount necessary to cover printing and shipping costs). Camu reminds us that healing the Earth doesn’t require grand gestures. It begins with simple, intentional actions: planting a sapling, leaving the leaves, or creating a corner of wild habitat and letting nature do the rest.
