Restore Saint Paul: Tree planting!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tree planting!

Post contributed by Meg from Conservation Corps Youth Outdoors Crew 2:

Planting trees at Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom.
The tubes surrounding each seedling will help
protect them from being browsed by deer and rabbits.

This week we did quite a bit of planting. We planted at Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom (CWOC) on Wednesday. We planted in the Oak Woodland area (Red Oak, Burr Oak, Dogwood, among others), the Coniferous Forest (White Pine, Jack Pine, and Basswoods), and the Transitional Forest (Aspens). Check out the master plan for CWOC. Some of us got to see two baby foxes while planting! It is great to see this restored habitat being used by wildlife!

We also planted at Crosby Farm Regional Park this week. We planted swamp white oak and silver maple near the water. These species are fairly flood tolerant and do well in this habitat. We also planted sugar maple, dogwood, and a few flood plain tolerant shrub species. The crew was able to check out the spring ephemeral site and look at the beautiful wildflowers that have been growing in the area. Spring ephemerals are short-lived wildflowers that emerge in early spring and are finished flowering by early summer. There is only a short window of time to enjoy them, so take some time in the next couple weeks to come to Crosby Farm and check them out!

Contributing Authors

Saint Paul Parks and Recreation--Natural Resources Division:

It would be impossible for us to maintain and improve Saint Paul's natural areas to the high standards that we are used to without the coordinated efforts of our many partner organizations and volunteers. In addition to Saint Paul's Natural Resources employees, the following groups will be contributing to the content of this blog as they work hard to keep Saint Paul "the most livable city in America."

Conservation Corps of Minnesota:

The Conservation Corps provides meaningful work for young people in conserving energy, managing natural resources, responding to disasters and leading volunteers. Not only do they provide training in resource management, safety, job-readiness and technical skills, they help young people develop personal responsibility, a strong work ethic and greater awareness of environmental stewardship. CCM has been a valuable partner in maintaining Saint Paul Parks natural areas for years.

Eco Ranger Acadamy:

The Environmental Services EcoRanger Academy is an educational summer job program for youth interested in plants, wildlife and the natural environment. Youth work throughout the City in forests, lakes and prairies on restoration projects. They perform tasks such as invasive species removal, planting and mulching. The program covers plant anatomy and identification, trees, entomology, water, soils and ecology. Youth that successfully complete the summer program graduate with a certificate and references from their crew leaders.