25 people - JFW members and friends - showed up and put down 600 seedlings to cover part of the burnt-out area behind Kenmount Terrace, St. John's on Sunday October 4.
the seedings - half black spruce, half white spruce - came from the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture and the space was offered by the City of St. John's. the plant was sponsored by Batesville, who have been supporting JFW plants for years.
some planted for the first time, and for some it was the zillionth seedling. everyone was happy to get the crates and the dibbles, and went off to regenerate the forest.
it was a good day to plant. not too hot, not too cold, not to wet, not too dry. the forest floor had just over two years to recover from the fire of June 2018 and offered relatively generous ground to plant in. along with the official planting 'dibbles', broomsticks, canes, and crowbars were used to make the right-sized hole. the teams set up in bubbles and/or kept the appropriate social distance.
the Junior Forest Wardens prorgram is about family outdoor adventure and ecology. Wardens are school-aged, and it's an awesome way to get teens outdoors and conncted to the natural environment.
for many, happiness is just being in the woods. there is fabulous hiking just off Sir Wilfred Grenfell Street in Kenmount Terrace. lots of hikers bring their dogs, some just come for the blueberries.
after less than two hours there were empty crates all around! those 600 seedlings added to the total planted by JFW's Giant Squid since 2012, bringing it up to around 8000.
every JFW plant is special, but this one was especially significant for two Kenmount Terrace residents who took part. they were there when the forest burned, and it felt good to be part of the regeneration.
for more photos, click here. for more information on the Junior Forest Wardens, visit their g2g profile.
share article
related articles
Guide to the Good is the social enterprise of thegreenrock.ca ~ Live Sustainably NL Inc.
© copywrite 2024 - thegreenrock.ca