Most of us have a special tree we cherish … a favorite that flowers in the spring and turns sunset in the fall. An old snag that houses squirrels, owls, and woodpeckers. A newly planted fruit tree with all its sweet promise. But there’s more to it! As part of a healthy future, our planet needs more forests – and people to plant them. Enter Boxerwood’s recent and evolving community tree-planting initiatives.
Last fall, Boxerwood and family volunteers planted one hundred native trees along Woods Creek, in partnership with Kendal of Lexington. This fall, we moved up the same watershed with an even larger project. In coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), our most recent tree planting activity transformed several acres of property near the Lexington golf course into a new, mini-forest. Key to the project’s success: landowners who envisioned a better calling for their land; materials and oversight provided by CBF; and thirty Boxerwood-recruited volunteers who collectively (and joyfully!) planted 325 native trees over two Saturdays this month.
Formerly mostly open grassland, the new forest borders a tributary of Woods Creek just up the road from Boxerwood. Thanks to the vision of landowners Deborah and Ali, the trees will help slow stormwater into the creek, improve wildlife habitat – and sequester tons of carbon.
Knowing their efforts would yield years of good was a great motivator for our volunteers.
Many of the first-time tree planters were W&L students, who set aside time from their end-of-semester grind. The forest makers included members of the men’s tennis team, students from an environmental studies class, and a host of hard-working members from SEAL, a campus sustainability group. Several families also joined the efforts as well as volunteers from the Rockbridge Area Master Gardeners Association and the Native Plant Society, who once again provided welcome expertise and mentoring.
The community component was not incidental to this project, but fundamental. Educating and inspiring people of all ages to become successful stewards of the Earth is Boxerwood’s mission. Creating opportunities for direct earth care is one of the ways we do that. You’ll see more of these projects in the future and we hope you’ll join us.
