🌳 Loma Mar Redwoods - Removal of French Broom

 

Managing a team is certainly not easy. This is why project managers are equipped with a deep variety of skills in order to be prepared for their responsibilities. But one may ask, “Where do young project managers like myself obtain these skills in the first place?” It’s evident to many people that nobody becomes a master of any craft without hard work and practice.

For this reason, PMI SF Bay Area, a body dedicated to the enrichment of project managers, holds periodic events where people can hone the skills it takes to become a reputable project manager. One such past event, the Loma Mar French Broom cleanup, took place in May, 2025.

Tale of the Loma Mar French Broom clean-up Event

What's the French Broom?

Credits: California Invasive Plants Council

The French Broom (Genista monspessulana) is an invasive species. Not only does it reproduce exponentially, but it is also a fire hazard!   Learn More https://www.cal-ipc.org/

 

San Mateo County Parks French Broom Removal

The French broom cleanup was a three-hour period of hand-plucking an invasive species called French broom. Not only did the plant reproduce exponentially, but it was also capable of fueling a fire! Because of this, the organization behind San Mateo County Parks was looking for people to relentlessly pluck the weed out of a moderately-sized, grassy meadow. This is where PMI SF Bay Area came in and volunteered to complete the task.

🪏 Our tool kit:

• gloves,
• extractors,
• hands,
• brains, and
• wits.

Robotically, the volunteers meticulously swept the whole meadow of French broom, lowering the risk of a fire outbreak and catching some valuable time outdoors. By the end of the event, the participants significantly deepened their bonds with their peers, carried out community service, and picked up some essential skills of project management.

Key Takeaways

1️⃣ The first key project management takeaway was the importance of 

Coordination & Communication between peers.

The pluckers were tasked with clearing away formidable plants, some of which were too strongly rooted to pull alone. Additionally, it was important to sweep the meadow in an orderly fashion; this required strong communication as a team. 

 

2️⃣ The second key project management takeaway, while plucking weeds, was

Persistence & Hard Work.

People felt like no matter how much they plucked, there was still more broom to annihilate. Participants had to rely on their persistence and will to keep going. Persistence is required when things aren’t working the way you want them to. With a substantial amount of persistence and problem-solving skills, a project manager and their team can complete nearly any task that’s thrown at them by continuing to try new solutions.

PMI’s Sustainability Group events help connect participants with amazing project managers in the community who share a service mindset. It was fun practicing project management skills while pulling French broom, and we have the photos to prove it!

 

✍️ Author

Anant Karthik

Middle schooler at Thomas Hart Middle School (Pleasanton) & Nature Enthusiast

 

Join Our Green Team

"There is always room on our team for volunteers to help ideate, plan, and execute our events"

Ina Acuña, PMISFBAC VP of Sustainability

Get in touch with us at: sustainability@pmisfbac.org

 

🌱 Events

Keep on the lookout for more events to come as these events are a great way to get involved with the community, learn about sustainability, or get hands-on experience working with organizations that are making the Bay Area more sustainable.