One of our favorite ways to celebrate Earth Month here at Berks Nature is to plant (and grow) trees! April also happens to be a perfect time to plant trees because temperatures tend to be mild, those April showers keep soil moist and welcoming, and longer days mean more daylight to help tree roots reestablish in their new homes.
This year, Berks Nature helped to plant 331 young native trees across Berks County. Equally impressive, if not more so, was the diversity of volunteers who made this effort possible; we were joined by about 100 tree planting volunteers this spring.
Between the students of Mrs. Sherman’s class at Fleetwood Middle School (regular tree planters invested in a long-term effort to re-green their school’s campus) to the employees of Penske (who turned tree planting at Bob’s Woods into a friendly competition), this spring’s volunteer crew may have varied in size, age, and profession but were united in their enthusiasm, work ethic, and muddy hands.
Fleetwood Middle School students help with tree planting efforts on their school’s campus.
Volunteers from Penske were eager to help reforestation efforts at Bob’s Woods at the Earl Poole Sanctuary.
Reading Public Works and Reading Conservation Corps joined forces with Reading Rotary Club and volunteers from SFS Manufacturing to plant 30 large, balled and burlap trees at Riverfront Park in Reading.
Reading Public Works and the Reading Conservation Corps combined their might with volunteers from the Reading Rotary Club and SFS Manufacturing at Riverfront Park. It took six full hours of sweat and grit to plant 30 large balled and burlap trees.
Up-and-comers in the environmental field from the PA Outdoor Corps and Reading Conservation Corps helped to plant 25 native trees on Neversink Mountain, representing our first efforts to replace trees lost in last year’s wildfire.
Our smallest volunteers – a group of school-aged children – surprised our staff and the members of Maiden Creek Watershed Association when they bounded enthusiastically and unexpectantly over from the Tiny Thinkers Academy next-door. Ultimately, 25 trees were planted at the Maidencreek Community Park, and 14 muddy children (hopefully) slept well for their parents.
We assembled our most tenacious volunteers from the Hay Creek Watershed Association to plant 200 wetland-adapted trees at a private farm. These trees are part of a Berks County Conservation District-funded project to reforest the banks and surrounding floodplain of the Cold Run Creek; already, over 600 trees have been planted at this property.
It was a grueling 4.5 hours of tree planting made amiable by warm temperatures, refreshing breezes, and an unshakeable can-do attitude,
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” said Rich, a Berks Nature Ambassador and veteran tree-planting volunteer.
Reforestation following last year’s wildfire on Neversink Mountain began with the help of volunteers from the PA Outdoor Corps and Reading Conservation Corps.
Berks Nature’s April tree-planting spree ended at Kutztown Middle School. Kutztown students helped plant 11 trees (with more planned for the fall).