If you’ve wandered around Boxerwood this fall, you might have noticed our tree nursery bursting with life. The nursery was recently home to more than 250 native tree seedlings planted by children and ultimately destined for community conservation. As part of our Growing Native program, 4th graders pot up bare “tree whips” in springtime. Later, as confident 6th graders, the same students re-plant their trees along stream banks and other community spaces.
Trees help protect water quality, but trees also provide wildlife habitat and sequester carbon. That’s why we’re thrilled grants and donations enable Boxerwood to provide this program without charge to schools, and to expand its reach to all twenty 4th grade classrooms in our area. It’s also why we’re running out of room in the Boxerwood nursery.
In anticipation of continued growth of this project, both literally and figuratively, we knew we needed a second nursery. Fortuitously, Maury River Middle School graciously offered to host one. To that end, Boxerwood led a “Forest Makers Club” at the school twice a week this fall. During this afterschool club, a group of students worked with Boxerwood educators to plan, install, and fill the new nursery with half the Boxerwood nursery trees. Highlight was a 25-kid “fire brigade” that enabled us to transport more than 125 of the trees from Boxerwood to MRMS one memorable Friday afternoon.
A big shout-out to Boxerwood staff member Scott Mason for providing essential technical and educational support throughout the Forest Makers project. The oaks, maples, and dogwoods now at MRMS were originally planted by children attending its elementary feeder schools. We look forward to the reunion as those students arrive at MRMS next fall, pick up their shovels, and complete their 2-year stewardship project.
We anticipate the Growing Native program providing more than 300 native trees a year for community-based plantings. Thank you to Maury River Middle School for its support, and to our funders: the Cacapon Institute and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.
