Written by Virgie Hoban for The Daily Cal
This lot in South Berkeley, currently too toxic to be useful, will be rehabilitated using a specialized fern known as the Chinese brake. This is a joint community project led by ESPM professor Céline Pallud. Photo courtesy of Anders Olson
UC Berkeley researchers are teaming up with local organizations to plant thousands of ferns in a South Berkeley lot in an effort to extricate toxic chemicals and eventually create a new haven of green gardens.
The project, spearheaded by the campus department of environmental science and the citywide nonprofit organization Berkeley Partners for Parks, will experiment with pteris vittata, also known as the Chinese brake — a specialized fern known to extract a thousand times more arsenic from the soil than a typical plant. If successful, the city will then transform the area into a greenway lined with bicycle paths and trees.
All are invited to attend the Garden Kickoff Celebration, Sunday Nov, 18, 2012.
