2019-May-deLeon-ColvilleNF-planting-trees-basket
Workers load trees into insulated bags that are fastened to hips so planting can begin. As the day warms up, water may be used to keep the tree roots cool in the bag. A full pair of baskets may hold about 200 trees.
When a wildfire consumes large swaths of the Colville National Forest as it did in 2015, foresters plant trees to not only give nature a helping hand, but to ensure the forest is resilient, genetically diverse, and meets both commercial and environmental demands.
In May 2019, Forest Service staff oversaw the planting of more than 77,000 trees across 380 acres in about two weeks. Contractors planted ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and western larch in the Stickpin fire scar on Boulder Pass, which burned in 2015. As the 2019 season came to a close, Forest Service staff returned to the planting area to determine how the seedlings fared. This season’s mild summer and above average rain contributed to an excellent survival rate of 94.6 percent.
Forest Service photo by Joseph M. de Leon
2019-May-deLeon-ColvilleNF-planting-trees-basket
Workers load trees into insulated bags that are fastened to hips so planting can begin. As the day warms up, water may be used to keep the tree roots cool in the bag. A full pair of baskets may hold about 200 trees.
When a wildfire consumes large swaths of the Colville National Forest as it did in 2015, foresters plant trees to not only give nature a helping hand, but to ensure the forest is resilient, genetically diverse, and meets both commercial and environmental demands.
In May 2019, Forest Service staff oversaw the planting of more than 77,000 trees across 380 acres in about two weeks. Contractors planted ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and western larch in the Stickpin fire scar on Boulder Pass, which burned in 2015. As the 2019 season came to a close, Forest Service staff returned to the planting area to determine how the seedlings fared. This season’s mild summer and above average rain contributed to an excellent survival rate of 94.6 percent.
Forest Service photo by Joseph M. de Leon