Places to look to identify your tree: http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/pages/compare-oaks.htm http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/idit.htm http://govdocs.evergreen.edu/pdf/forestservice/guides/native-oaks2003.pdf

I don't live in NY and I am really not familiar with a Catskills meadow. I'm only familiar with a Midwest prairie. With a prairie it's usually best to remove all vegetation prior to planting, unless a significant amount of natives are already present. A clean slate is best for combating future weeds from taking over. In starting a new prairie planting, prep and planing is the most important step, followed by critically prescribed mowings--if planting from seed; or conscientious weeding--if using plugs. After about three years, a well planned and cared for prairie should require only occasion monitoring of weeds and minimal care.

There are fabricators who carry "some" slabs. There are no yards. I take or send clients to NJ or Conn. The closet with a lot od slabs would be marble.com related to All Granite and Marble- they are near Danbury I use Empire Granite in Lagrangeville who has some slabs in stock. Barra and Trombore in Kerhonkson has slabs. I believe there are a few in Westchester with a lot. Walker Zanger is in Westchester.

" I know it takes longer for organic fertilizers to break down so..." This is just an adjustment to the way your worded that statement: Grain type organic fertilizers take longer to show the greening effect. They begin 'breaking down' immediately when they hit the soil and will be effectively gone from the surface of the soil in a week. But it still takes 2 more weeks before the thousands of microbe species have converted the fertilizer to available plant food. So it's the conversion to plant food process that takes time. Break down and decomposition is very quick. Synthetic fertilizer is almost immediately available once it becomes moist, so that's the difference. It doesn't have to break down or get processed by the microbes.