18K Trees Planted in Fun Fall Community Events
18K Trees Planted in Fun Fall Community Events
Our mission at One Tree Planted isn't just to reforest the planet, it's to provide education, awareness, and engagement with nature on a practical level. That means helping more people get their hands in the dirt! This is how you can really participate in connecting with the environment in a personal way. To do that, we've organized more volunteer opportunities in 2018 than ever before.
Below is a collection of stories and photos from some of the events we have organized or funded this fall. Many of these involved planting trees, while some entailed other related environmental restoration work, because as you probably know, trees don't exist in a vacuum. They like healthy soil, plant biodiversity, pruning or mulching, removal of invasive species, or other support to begin life as seedlings or continue growing healthy in adulthood.
If you want to stay in the loop about future volunteer events, tune into our newsletter. We're planning lots of action for spring 2019 and will update you via email as soon as they're scheduled.
Ok, now onto the reforestation recap!
Blanco River, TX - 8,000 Trees Planted
We partnered with a local organization based in Texas, Treefolks, to get 8,000 trees planted as part of a multi-year effort to reforest the banks of the Blanco River after the Memorial Day Floods of 2015 devastated both nature and local communities.
Most of the plantings were held on private lands by families who lost their homes and livelihoods, so this restoration effort had a very personal impact for them. The planting event lifted spirits and brought the community together. More planting is still come, and by the end of 2019 there will be a total of 300,000 trees in the ground for the 300 families affected by this flood. Trees were also planted in several public parks. Special thanks to our business partners Noble Oak who helped fund this project and to Hank + Tank photography for the great photos.
Muir Woods restoration event
Golden Gate Parks Conservancy hosted a planting event for One Tree Planted volunteers at Muir Woods National Park. This beautiful park is an old growth redwood forest with a long history of restoration and management. Redwood Creek runs from the top of Mount Tamalpais to Muir Beach through Muir Woods, and is currently undergoing restoration for salmon habitats.
Volunteers helped remove invasive species and planted Redwood Sorrel, a native type of ground cover that helps protect the soil, reduce erosion, and reduce the growth of other harmful plant species.
California - 4,400 Trees Planted
This fall we planted in the Lake Tahoe Area with our ongoing partners at the Sugar Pine Foundation.
The main goal of this project was to restore the sugar pine population by planting seedlings that are white pine blister rust resistant. White pine blister rust is a non-native invasive pathogen decimating sugar pines and other white pines. About 90-95% of sugar pines are susceptible to this rust. Another goal was to reforest local fire scars (land affected by forest fires), which is why we grew and planted a mix of native trees.
These trees will provide habitat for the Bald Eagle, Northern goshawk, and the American marten - also coined as nature's most adorable assassin. More details in our dedicated California project recap.
Laguna Restoration Activity in California
The Big Bend has its name due to the vast canyon that wraps around the park. The Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is truly a sight to see. We worked with the Laguna Canyon Foundation for a community planting that took place in a barren area of the park. This is part of a volunteer program where weekly events are held to engage the community with nature. For this activity, we planted different types of shrubs and native plants in an effort to restore the barren area. Those orange cones you see in the photos are protectors for the plants from the nearby rodents and deer that would have loved to have one of these native plants for dinner!
New York - 4,500 Trees Planted
The Emerald Ash Borer is a metallic green insect that does exactly what its name says - bores holes into Ash trees. This pest has decimated Ash tree populations throughout North America which has created a nationwide effort to rehabilitate the forests affected. We planted 4,500 and 1,000 shrubs in Birdseye Hollow State Forest, a forest that suffered immensely from this pesky bug.
Most of the areas affected were in riparian zones and therefore left the river banks susceptible to erosion. This project will improve water quality and create a healthy habitat for wildlife. Riparian plantings stabilize water temperature and reduce stream erosion. The swallowtail shiner, a threatened species of fish in the area, will benefit from this restoration effort.
This project was made possible by The Upper Susquehanna Coalition. The Coalition is a network of 17 Soil and Water Conservation Districts in New York, and 4 Conservation Districts in Pennsylvania. Their mission is to protect and improve water quality and natural resources in the Upper Susquehanna River Basin.
This is also part of a larger restoration effort which seeks to restore 60 acres of riparian area within Birdseye Hollow State Forest. A special thanks to Noble Oak for funding the cost of the trees, and the pups that kept up team morale while planting!
Colorado - 1,138 Trees Planted
After a recent flood in the Fourmile watershed, tree planting along stream banks was necessary to increase stability and reduce erosion. In another area of the watershed, trees were planted on private land due to a burn scar from a recent wildfire.
Our partners for this project was the Fourmile Watershed Coalition, a group of motivated and compassionate people who care about their community. We also helped distribute trees to private landowners which helped the Coalition form and strengthen relationships with this community that has been affected by both floods and wildfires. This partnership is also part of our forest fire recovery efforts ever year for Earth Day!
Claremont community planting - 180 Trees Planted
With many trees dying of natural causes, drought, and disease the last few years, there is a need to plant young trees now that will take over carbon sequestration and provide all the other benefits of trees for future generations.
Sustainable Claremont and One Tree Planted will be hosting tree planting activities monthly until April 1st.
We've already had two great planting events that sum up a total of 180 trees planted of the 685-tree goal in the city of Claremont.
If you are looking to get your hands dirty you should sign up for our next planting.
Ok, that wraps up today's reforestation update. As always thank you for all the support in continuing to do this important work. We can't wait to get more trees in the ground in 2019!
We plant trees on 4 continents around the world. Want to choose where yours are planted?
by Stephanie Rochemont & Diana Chaplin
Project Manager + Eco-Storyteller
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