August 6th 2013. Great Meadow in the Wildlands. Kids
from KidsPeace in Ellsworth worked with Steward Brian Keegstra and Volunteer Dan Rhodes to plant the first six of twenty-four blight-resistant American Chestnut trees.
Kids and staff dug designated holes, mixed compost with soil, and caringly (per instructions) patted the seedlings into place – careful not to damage roots or allow even the slightest of air pockets.
Next, kids cut hardware cloth and constructed protective fencing around the seedlings.
By the end of this month, these seedlings will adorn the edges of Great Meadow. By later in this century, they will tower over the Wildlands.
For more pictures click Chestnuts in Wildlands
For more information about the great American Chestnut Tree, the blight that wiped it out, and the efforts to restore it to the forests of America, click here for the American Chestnut Foundation: http://www.acf.org/