Back to Natives is very concerned about the potential for introducing and spreading pathogens into our restoration sites.
We always sanitize our tools after each use so that we do not transport anything from one site to another – or into our Nursery, or into a client’s yard. We sanitize the undercarriage and tires of our vehicles before visiting restoration sites in the Forest. We wash our shoes in between visiting different sites, and we do not use gloves at our restoration sites that have not at least been washed (usually we have gloves dedicated to a site). We do not allow volunteers to EVER bring their own tools – we do not even let them bring those little pads to kneel on, since they could be carrying something from their garden, etc.
At the Nursery we ALWAYS sterilize our pots before using them, and we never overuse water. The procedures we take at our restorations sites are used at the Nursery as well, and we recently began instituting a sanitizing shoe bath for all visitors who enter the premises (everyone must step into a tray filled with a shallow layer of bleach solution at the gate). If you have questions about sanitizing, feel free to send us an email!