Tree Planting Extravaganza
December 2022
This past month Boxerwood helped facilitate two big tree-planting projects. As a result, an additional 663 native trees are now tucked in for years of beauty, being, and service. The trees settled into Rockbridge soil thanks to the busy hands and beating hearts of more than 130 earth stewards and a dog named Mesa (who had paws).
“These were two separate projects,” explained Boxerwood education director Elise Sheffield. “They differed in scale, but they both shared some key Boxerwood DNA.” Both projects focused on protecting stream health and sequestering carbon. Equally valuable, however, was involving people of all ages in direct stewardship, which is part of Boxerwood’s strategy for growing public understanding and support for earth care.
“The first project was wild!” said Elise, explaining the project involved all 7th and 8th graders at Lylburn Downing Middle School (LDMS) in a single morning of tree-planting frenzy. “They were super into it,” she said, even though it was a very cold November morning. Working in Boxerwood-led shifts, the students and their teachers planted twelve trees at Richardson Park (next to LDMS) and another 51 at Boxerwood.
Boxerwood worked with the City of Lexington to determine the need at the Park, and City arborist Celia Raney enthusiastically identified sites for river birch, sycamore, and oak, which will provide more shade for the Park. While some students planted at the Park others traveled to Boxerwood to plant a dozen pin oaks near the field, plus 39 silky dogwoods in the woods near our spring-fed stream. “We’re trying to control erosion in this hillside area,” said Garden & Facility Manager, Ben Eland, “and I’m excited that these shade-loving, shrubby dogwoods are ideal for the job.”
The tree planting project fit with LDMS goals, as more than half of the 94 students had recently participated in a school-sponsored 3-day program at the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay trip helps students understand how actions in Rockbridge impact the Bay. “Making that learning actionable is really important,” Elise said, “because eco-learning without action reinforces passivity, apathy, and all the things we don’t want.” Tree planting, therefore, is good medicine for people as well as the earth: it motivates and energizes us to rise to the challenge.
Making this project especially meaningful was the fact that all the trees the LDMS students planted were the very same trees they themselves had placed into pots two years prior as part of Boxerwood’ elementary Growing Native program. “Students literally lifted their trees out of the Boxerwood nursery as part of the reunion,” said Elise, “it was wonderful to see that cycle in action.”
The second tree-planting project took place December 9 & 10 in partnership with Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). “CBF has a wonderful program that essentially covers costs associated with protecting Rockbridge streams through riparian planting,” explained Elise, “and this was a big one!” Landowners Cathryn and David Harbor were keen to address soil erosion on the Raphine farmland they had recently acquired. Teaming up with CBF and Boxerwood made sense.
The Harbors were also motivated by the opportunity to link the project to COREworks, Boxerwood’s offset marketplace. “We’re still in the process of reviewing the project,” said Elise, “but we anticipate this reforestation will sequester more than fifty tons of carbon just during its first decade of growth.” After verification those offsets will be listed on the COREworks marketplace. (When you secure an offset from a listed project, proceeds will support additional emission-reducing projects thus perpetuating even more cycles of good).
The driver of this second project was Boxerwood’s partner, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). “Hat’s off to CBF,” said Elise, who noted CBF coordinator Sarah Coffey was instrumental in managing the project over two full days of planting. “CBF provided the legal framework, the trees and supplies, and recruited volunteers also. Boxerwood provided additional volunteer support and supplies (thanks, Mohawk!), plus the COREworks connection.”
In the end, though, it’s the trees themselves that will make the most enduring contributions.
“Trees are the ultimate gift that keeps on giving,” said Elise. “The kids we teach always remind us about oxygen and shade, and it’s true, but there’s so much more: habitat, soil protection, water filtration, stormwater management, plus simply joy and wonder. We here at Boxerwood are happy to finish out our year with a tree-planting story: it’s in our DNA too.”
ACTION:
To see if you qualify for the free tree/ riparian buffer program, click HERE.
To offset your travel or other activity with a COREworks offset, click HERE.
To make a general donation to Boxerwood to keep up the good work, click HERE.
