Tri Lakes Tribune > News
New year’s resolution: plant trees
By Danny Smith
The dead ones are ready for disposal; the retired Christmas trees dropped their brown needles, signifying the close of the holiday season. But it’s a new year and local residents can embrace a rejuvenating mindset of fresh growth through the Black Forest Community Club’s Tree Seedling Project.
Each year the Colorado Forest Service sells large quantities of seedling trees to anyone looking to plant them for nonaesthetic purposes including snow blocks, wind blocks, erosion control or wildlife habitat. The catch is that the trees have to be purchased in high volumes of 30-50 seedlings at a time.
Enter the Black Forest Community Club — it will accept orders for as few as 10 trees for those whose yards and fields can’t accommodate numerous trees. The club will purchase them from the Forest Service in the larger amounts and parse them out to local residents in Black Forest.
The club will also transport them down from a Colorado Forest Service site in Woodland Park and save a trip for anyone looking to grow some pragmatic trees.
Because of supplies associated with organizing the seedlings and transportation costs, there is about a 5 percent markup on these seedlings over the Forest Service prices.
Some of the money will go toward the contentment of springtime volunteers needed to organize and distribute the trees.
“You get volunteers much faster if you have doughnuts and coffee available in the morning,” said one of the project organizers and Black Forest resident Mike Seay who helped organize the project last year as well along with fellow resident Hank Hoover.
Getting trees to survive can be a bit tricky sometimes and Seay does not consider himself an expert on that area.
“Usually when a plant shows up in our house it dies,” Seay said.
That is no cause for alarm as there will be a workshop with the Forest Service on planting and caring for seedling trees at the Black Forest Community Club on Jan. 24 from 9-11 a.m. and potential tree-purchasers can also buy survival tools from the Forest Service along with their seedling.
Orders are already being taken and can be found through the Black Forest community Web site at www.blackforest-co.com/ bfcc/.
The trees arrive in the spring and numerous species are available with most costing under $2 per seedling. Some species go faster than others and an early order can assure a desired species according Seay. Order forms are due at the end of March.
Each year the Colorado Forest Service sells large quantities of seedling trees to anyone looking to plant them for nonaesthetic purposes including snow blocks, wind blocks, erosion control or wildlife habitat. The catch is that the trees have to be purchased in high volumes of 30-50 seedlings at a time.
Enter the Black Forest Community Club — it will accept orders for as few as 10 trees for those whose yards and fields can’t accommodate numerous trees. The club will purchase them from the Forest Service in the larger amounts and parse them out to local residents in Black Forest.
The club will also transport them down from a Colorado Forest Service site in Woodland Park and save a trip for anyone looking to grow some pragmatic trees.
Because of supplies associated with organizing the seedlings and transportation costs, there is about a 5 percent markup on these seedlings over the Forest Service prices.
Some of the money will go toward the contentment of springtime volunteers needed to organize and distribute the trees.
“You get volunteers much faster if you have doughnuts and coffee available in the morning,” said one of the project organizers and Black Forest resident Mike Seay who helped organize the project last year as well along with fellow resident Hank Hoover.
Getting trees to survive can be a bit tricky sometimes and Seay does not consider himself an expert on that area.
“Usually when a plant shows up in our house it dies,” Seay said.
That is no cause for alarm as there will be a workshop with the Forest Service on planting and caring for seedling trees at the Black Forest Community Club on Jan. 24 from 9-11 a.m. and potential tree-purchasers can also buy survival tools from the Forest Service along with their seedling.
Orders are already being taken and can be found through the Black Forest community Web site at www.blackforest-co.com/ bfcc/.
The trees arrive in the spring and numerous species are available with most costing under $2 per seedling. Some species go faster than others and an early order can assure a desired species according Seay. Order forms are due at the end of March.
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