Over 300 years have passed since California first felt the effects of colonization, but a key victim’s story is still unsung. Siena King, 32, and Sprout Weinberger, 26, are tree specialists tending to Santa Cruz and the greater Bay Area with one thing on their mind: restoration.
Siena and Sprout founded Elemental Tree Network, a queer women-owned company, in 2021 inspired by regenerative action and traditional ecological knowledge.
Sprout, a soil scientist, oak specialist and arborist was born and raised in Malibu. She moved to Santa Cruz to study Biology and Horticulture at Cabrillo which led her to Santa Cruz Permaculture Program in 2018, where she met Siena: her partner in life and business. She later went on to earn a degree at UC Davis in Environmental Science and Management with a focus on Soils and Biogeochemistry.
Siena is a Santa Cruz local who has worked as a property caretaker for many years. Her passion for ecology and holistic health are the backbone of the organic principles that Elemental Tree Network is based on.
“As women, we have intuition with how to nurture and be present in this work. It’s not about a bottom line, it’s about doing what’s best for the trees.” Siena said. Their knowledge, first-hand experience, and numerous mentors, have helped Siena and Sprout to implement a natural, chemical free method of disease mitigation and treatment for various tree diseases including the seemingly incurable: sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum).
A key contributor to the ecological destruction we see today is the lack of land stewardship. “People do not know they need our services… they don’t know their tree is sick or stressed.” Sprout said. Indications of imbalance include insect activity, bare soil, canopy dieback, and bleeding cankers on the bark.
Elemental Tree Network offers tree health care from a prescriptive approach: fertilization using organic amendments, soil remediation through compost and mulching, diagnosis of plant disorders and treatments including surgical removal of infections, cauterization with fire and application of a proprietary medicinal wood sealant.
Siena says, “Our approach is with the intention of inspiring a deeper connection with the landscape we are living with. We share our knowledge to maintain a healthy ecosystem and help others have a healthier relationship with the beings around them”.
Siena and Sprout can be contacted through their website, www.elementaltreenetwork.org, their Instagram @elemental_tree_network, or through their phone number 310.525.8201 to provide diagnosis, treatment, and education to your backyard.
By Daniella Blomquist
