2012 Restoration Projects
Black Hills National Forest | Blackwater River State Forest | Cuyamaca Rancho State Park | Dixie National Forest | Manitoba, Canada
Black Hills National Forest
Forest Overview
150,000 trees
The famed Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota are the setting for this national forest which is rich in heritage and visited by millions each year. The forest itself is a representation of American legacy, laced with miles of stunning lakes, rivers, streams, and rugged mountaintops. Many visit the rollinghills clad with pine trees each year and use the experience to rejuvenate body and spirit.
The Jasper fire of 2000 burned more than 80,000 acres of the Black Hills National Forest. The 2012 replanting project will take place within the burn area where little or no natural regeneration has occurred due to the lack of seed source lost to the intense flames. This year more than 400 acres will be replenished with 150,000 ponderosa pine trees. The planting window on the Hell Canyon Ranger District is small; a crew of approximately 20 tree planters will ensure the project is completed so the landscape can once again be adorned with healthy mature trees.
Blackwater River State Forest
Forest Overview
79,000 trees
The Blackwater River State Forest, a woodland abundant in plant and animal life, lies in the northwestern Florida Panhandle. The Blackwater River, for which the forest is named, is a rare example of a shifting sand bottom stream flowing through gently rolling lands.
It is part of the largest ecological community of its type anywhere in the world. Sadly, this system has declined to less than 5% of the original 60 million acres it once covered in the southeastern United States. An exceptional source of biodiversity, pinelands provide habitat to more than 30 threatened or endangered plant and animal species including the pitcher plant, red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, and Florida sandhill crane.
In 2012, the Florida Forest Service will urgently focus on a goal of planting more than one million longleaf pine trees. These trees are essential to the landscape and its recovery: to filter rain water, retain topsoil and moisture, provide diverse habitat and food sources for wildlife, and help preserve public lands in the Florida panhandle that will once again lure visitors for decades to come.
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
Forest Overview
50,000 trees
In October of 2003, the Cedar Fire raged across 270,686 acres in Southern California including almost the entire Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. This was the largest recorded fire in California as measured by fire perimeter maps which have been used to document the extent of burned areas since the early 1900’s. Conifer mortality of more than 95% in the park was extremely high due to the fire severity and extremely high temperatures—fires that burned so hot that cone seed sources were lost.
With the help of Enterprise, the Arbor Day Foundation and our forestry partners can restore forest habitat in the park and provide important protected areas for a wide variety of native mammal and bird species which are experiencing strong and continuous pressure from development. The newly planted habitat is critical to forest dwelling species such as the redbreasted sapsucker, red-breasted nuthatch, and golden-crowned kinglet..
Dixie National Forest
Forest Overview
50,000 trees
Dixie National Forest is comprised of almosttwo million scenic acres that extendacross more than 150 miles of picturesquelandscape in southern Utah. This multi-useforest is a haven for adventurers and vacationers.The cliffs and gorges near the Colorado Rivercreate a beautiful backdrop for hiking, biking,and canoeing. The diverse climate also provideshabitat for many different wildlife species suchas the cougar, bobcat, blue grouse, golden eagle,cottontail rabbit, wild turkey, and antelope.
Dixie National Forest is comprised of almosttwo million scenic acres that extendacross more than 150 miles of picturesquelandscape in southern Utah. This multi-useforest is a haven for adventurers and vacationers.The cliffs and gorges near the Colorado Rivercreate a beautiful backdrop for hiking, biking,and canoeing. The diverse climate also provideshabitat for many different wildlife species suchas the cougar, bobcat, blue grouse, golden eagle,cottontail rabbit, wild turkey, and antelope.
Manitoba, Canada
Phil CamillForest Overview
50,000 trees
Through our partnership with Tree Canada,we propose planting 50,000 red pine trees atthe Manitoba Forestry Associations ForestDiscovery Centre. This is an educational learningcentre visited by thousands of students. Theproject site is located 100 km east of Winnipeg andthe forests of this area are in desperate need oftrees. The area plays a key role in protecting thelarger Red River Basin watershed.
The benefits of planting include: enhancedwildlife habitat, soil stabilization, watershedrecharge, adding species diversity to areas witha high-risk monoculture of jack pine trees, andsustainable tree cover for future educational/learning lessons within this discovery forest.