Tree planting training is starting!

By Rose High Bear (Deg Hit’an Dine, Inupiaq), Founding Director

Our newest Urban Forestry team just completed two urban forestry tree planting trainings this month, one with Friends of Trees and the second with Oregon Department of Forestry: Urban and Community Forestry. Last week, we traveled to Albany to meet Evan, our Oregon Department of Forestry: Urban and Community Forestry Program Officer. 

We met Phil, the teacher at Memorial Middle School and his students who are developing an amazing native planting area in their schoolyard and had a few dozen plants, including Oregon white oak, that they needed help getting into the ground. We felt it would be a great opportunity to gain experience and meet another local tree partner. Evan and Allison conducted a tree planting demo with the students on how to properly prepare a tree and soil for planting. 

Phil sent us an email afterwards thanking us for helping them out. He said, “Got it all taken care of.  THANK YOU guys so much.  That was awesome. I walked out and looked at the trees and made sure all the gates were closed, and they look soooo good.  Thanks for the update about the mulch, etc…”

Our interns -- David, Soul, Madeline, Tetianna and Michelle - guided by Joaquin and Renee, loved working with ODF, the school, and especially the young students. This adds so much value to the classroom and service learning training they are continuing to complete here in Salem as we prepare to launch our own tree planting projects with students at local Title One schools. 

We were blessed with a visit from Sam, our film producer who shot some footage of the activity and then produced a short film that we can share with others. You can view his production below. Allison shared more in-depth information on the steps involved in tree planting so Sam is preparing a longer training for classroom education here at EWF and in the schools. 

Oregon Department of Forestry Training at Memorial Middle School, Film by Sam Forencich