rachel helt

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Alan McCullough, Co-Founder and Program Director, was born and raised in a small fishing village in South West England where his love of nature started. After graduating high school he was employed by the Parks Division of Devon and Cornwall where he worked at some of Europe’s elite gardens while earning his Horticulture degree. Upon completing his degree Alan took 18 months off to work with the Welsh Hawking Center where he learned the art of Falconry and trained Eagles, falcons, Hawks and owls before returning to college to specialize in Arboriculture (Study of Trees).

He attended the prestigious Merrist Wood college of Arboriculture. While taking his degree simultaneously passed his European Arborist certificate from the Royal Forestry College. Upon completing his degree Alan was chosen to study in California for a year, climbing, learning and maintaining the world’s oldest, tallest and biggest trees. Needless to say he fell in love with the area and stayed for 11 years gaining his ISA International Arborist and Tree Worker Certificates as well as passing the ASCA (American Society of Consulting Arborists) Academy. 

After California Alan turned his attention the rich and famous in the Hamptons NY and was the sales team leader for one of the East Coast premier tree care service providers. After 10 years of serving the world’s elite creating and maintaining their personal paradises it was time to get back to what mattered most..... Nature. Alan made New Jersey (The Garden state) his home where he was one of the first to receive the “Certified Organic Land Care Provider” certificate from Rutgers University, then went on to gain his New Jersey Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator License and joined with a local landscape company to develop an organic plant health care program.

Wanting something different and cutting edge Alan moved on to a European company building and installing state of the art hydroponic living green wall air purifiers. As their National Director of Horticulture he traveled all over the USA teaching local and national landscape companies how to install and maintain the walls. After streamlining the procedure it was time to slow down and spend more time at home with the family. The animal rescue started and Patchwork Pastures became a priority. Although Rachel and Alan had been planning it for over 3 years, NOW was the time to put their plan into action.

Alan brings a lot of passion for all plants and animals and a thirst for learning and teaching with over 35 years in the Green industry and Master’s degrees in both Arboriculture and Horticulture. Alan brings a wide range of experience and his expertise with hands on production, organic and standard plant health care solutions, sales and management. With extensive knowledge of all plants from lawns, perennials and shrubs to the largest redwoods in California and also with hydroponic green walls; experience in every aspect of the plant world from greenhouse work to semi tropical zones and everything in-between; that combined with years of sales and upper management makes for a very rounded “green” partner..“BRINGING RECOVERY AND NATURE TOGETHER”