Shelterbelt Builders was founded in 1978 in Berkeley, CA as a general building and landscaping company completing over 600 commercial and residential projects during the subsequent 15 years. The original company enthusiastically embraced the emerging green building technologies of the 70's and implemented many passive and active solar, straw bale and off-the-grid construction projects. After an exhaustive effort rebuilding residential homes following the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm, management realized there was no locally available organization specializing in the management, stewardship and restoration of native landscapes in the San Francisco Bay Area. At that point, Shelterbelt abandoned traditional construction and restructured itself into a specialty contracting company dedicated exclusively to restoration of native landscapes and open land management. We are now one of the leading companies in California devoted to this task.

Shelterbelt is a Certified Green Business. By the very nature of our main line of work - the restoration of native plants and natural lands, we are committed to a greener world. But beyond our work, we are committed to green business practices. In the field, we implement alternative fuels with our service vehicles, carpool to field sites and promote bicycle transportation to the maximum extent possible. In the office, we maintain an ultra energy efficient office, use only 100% recycled papers and stationary and take great steps to recycle and reuse all byproducts of our business waste stream. On projects, we process vegetative waste on-site to minimize additions to the local landfill, utilize recycled or custom processed organic mulches and composts, implement many alternatives to herbicides and use FSC-certified or salvaged wood for building projects.

• A licensed/bonded California contractor #620615 B-C27
• A California Pest Control Business #0412500000 aquatic/landscape categories
• A Small Business Enterprise
• A Certified Green Business

• The Society for Ecological Restoration
• The California Invasive Plant Council
• The Ecological Landscaping Association
• The California Native Grass Society
• The California Native Plant Society