“Peach Paws” Plant Trees for Earth Day

It was a beautiful spring day on Saturday April 18 when members of “Peach Paws,” a service club of students from Peach Plains Elementary School in Grand Haven, gathered with Peach Plains staff, Shannon Morton, Director of Volunteerism for Greater Ottawa County United Way and other community members to plant 675 new trees in Hiawatha Park in Grand Haven. The project was created to mark “Earth Day 2009” by working to reforest an area that was logged of its Red Pine trees. The open space was filled with jack pine, black cherry, and white pine trees.

 In photo from left to right, you can see Leigh Anne Forthofer of Peach Plains, Jackson Morton, and Kate Drake, principal of Peach Plains, hard at work.

The mature Red Pines that had been harvested were planted in the 1930s to prevent soil erosion. Many had reached the end of their natural life span and were diseased and dying. Experts say they will all die before too many more years go by. Logging living trees means they can be used for lumber to build homes and for other similar uses. After they die, they will have no value.

 Unfortunately, the forested lands look ‘barren’ after the logging. Replanting with native seedlings speeds the recovery process.