The Flagship Project of Sylva Sophia, The Arborist Approach, was launched in 2014 in Los Angeles. The Arborist Approach is a multi-prong system that makes use of what might simply be discarded as trash and results in hundreds if not thousands of fruit trees to be the beginning of a revitalized local resource base.

The 3 centers of the Arborist Approach:

Seed Savers: Backyard gardeners and organic fruit consumers make great Seed Savers! Do you shop at your local farmers’ market or get a CSA box? After eating all that luscious in-season fruit, collect and store the seeds and donate them to the Germinator Corp.

Germinator Corp: This group of local residents accept the seeds from the Seed Savers and germinate them. On a 2′ square table, a Germinator can sprout 20-30 fruit tree seeds. The Germinator cares for and nurtures seed to seedling in preparation for transfer to the Arborist Clubs.

Arborist Clubs: Partnering with local Junior & High Schools, crops of seedlings will be donated so that local students can begin to learn the Arborist Arts; Grafting, pruning, & Orchard Design.

Are you interested in getting involved? Wonderful! Whether you want to start your own local chapter of one of the 3 “centers”, or you want to volunteer with an existing one near you, we’d love for you to Help Us Grow! (For donations, visit our Watering Can page) Thank you for your support!