Wet conditions put a damper on Two Creeks tree planting, but volunteers get job done

Volunteers old and young turned out Saturday for the fourth annual tree planting in the hickory-oak savannah at Two Creeks Conservation Area.

Wet trails meant the 65 seedlings had to be carried by hand or wheelbarrow from the parking lot in the southwest to the northeast quadrant of the 85-acre site, but the work was completed in an hour.

The continuing program is aimed at replenishing the diminished oak population of the savannah.

Event organiser Marjan Willett said after the planting that the survival rate of previous years has been very good and that two generations from now, the results will be plain to see.

The reforestation effort is part of the continuing Care for Carbon Carolinian Forest project, which aims to replant the conservation area with native species and help offset our carbon footprint. It's part of an overall strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This year's cost was again paid for by a $1,300 grant from the Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program. The CFWIP, part of the Ministery of Natural Resources, provides the opportunity to participate in hands-on fish and wildlife management and biodiversity conservation activities.

Nearly 350 trees have now been dug in at the site over the last four years.

For more on the conservation area, which is owned by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority and managed by volunteers, see twocreeks.ca. For more on the CFWIP, see MNR's website at mnr.gov.on.ca/en