Sixteen volunteers turned out on a perfect autumn morning to plant 107 native trees and shrubs in the Herman Road Forever Wild Forest as part of the Friends of Webster Trails ReTree project. This is the third year that ReTree has had a major planting event, bringing the total that ReTree has planted to more than 500 new specimens in Webster’s Preserves.
Many of the plants were seedlings that were potted this past spring at the Earth Day event. ReTree has now established a pipeline of plants, from seeds that are nurtured in the nursery to a size that can survive in the field. Next spring, a new crop of seedlings will be added to the nursery for future planting.
Like many of Webster’s preserves, Herman Road has many mature trees, but minimal understory plants because of deer browsing. Some of the larger trees are also under threat, with ash trees particularly vulnerable. The plants added this year include a mix of trees that will replace those that are likely to die, plus understory shrubs to fill out the forest ecosystem. Any new specimens that are susceptible to deer browsing were also protected with cages.
Many thanks to the volunteers who participated all year to bring about this event!
