Planting Trees with Eugene Parks, AmeriCorps, Friends of Trees and UO Holden Leadership

Active Learning is the best way to learn.  In January, on Martin Luther King Day,  a large contingent of Eugene, Oregon community members, including students from the University of Oregon, got the chance to learn tree planting from these members of AmeriCorps above (and Eugene Parks /Friends of Trees). The work took place at Westmoreland Park. One might think that all you need to do is dig a hole to plant a tree, but if you want the best survival success for the trees you plant, then you need to learn to dig the right shaped hole, one with a raised center point.  Additionally, the rootball needs to be prepared after removing it from its growing pot and the roots need to be flexed outwards.  Then, the stem of each tree needs to placed at the right height in the hole and hence the reason for the raised center point.  Finally, the immediate area needs to be mulched with a ring of mulch, not hump of mulch piled up against the stem.  If you have interest in learning more, check out all three of the supporting organizations.  I know I learned a lot about trees and volunteering on MLK Day.