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openspace4lifeTwo weeks ago, for the first time in something like two years, I actually got out into the wilderness and did some hiking. And as far as I can remember, this is the first time I've ever planted a tree. I know, I'm a terrible excuse for an environmentalist.
Specifically, I spent a morning in the San Bernardino Mountains near Lake Arrowhead, under the auspices of the Mountain Communities Releaf project, which is trying to accelerate the recovery of the forest after last October's devastating fires by having volunteers plant seedlings in the burned areas -- our group of around 40 planted hundreds in the course of less than four hours.
A typical planted seedling.
A hillside of seedlings with "shade cards" to protect them from drying out in the afternoon sun. (Color shamelessly enhanced in Photoshop.)
The team I was working with.
The slope of the hillside we were working on! The camera is not tilted at all. And many of us, myself included, were wearing sneakers that were really not up to the task.
The CalFire folks in charge of the operation.
Yes, they do tree thinning here, too. (Actually these are just the thoroughly burned, dead trees they're clearing out to make way for the new growth.) Those bleachers belong to the kids' camp where we parked.
The mountain region clearly has vast swaths of damaged or destroyed forest.
Hopefully more of it will look like this in a few decades, rather than the centuries it would normally take.
I may be doing this again next weekend (with actual boots this time!), and they're also planning trips to water the trees in the summer.
Specifically, I spent a morning in the San Bernardino Mountains near Lake Arrowhead, under the auspices of the Mountain Communities Releaf project, which is trying to accelerate the recovery of the forest after last October's devastating fires by having volunteers plant seedlings in the burned areas -- our group of around 40 planted hundreds in the course of less than four hours.
A typical planted seedling.
A hillside of seedlings with "shade cards" to protect them from drying out in the afternoon sun. (Color shamelessly enhanced in Photoshop.)
The team I was working with.
The slope of the hillside we were working on! The camera is not tilted at all. And many of us, myself included, were wearing sneakers that were really not up to the task.
The CalFire folks in charge of the operation.
Yes, they do tree thinning here, too. (Actually these are just the thoroughly burned, dead trees they're clearing out to make way for the new growth.) Those bleachers belong to the kids' camp where we parked.
The mountain region clearly has vast swaths of damaged or destroyed forest.
Hopefully more of it will look like this in a few decades, rather than the centuries it would normally take.
I may be doing this again next weekend (with actual boots this time!), and they're also planning trips to water the trees in the summer.
