Posted on Tuesday, May 4, 2004
More than 100 men, women, and children planted over 200 trees in the ¾¨Ó㴫ý Microforest to celebrate Arbor Day.
Dr. Clarence Harms, director of the Field Station and professor of biology Emeritus, organized the week-long event, and the local Kiwanis Club donated $400 to purchase trees planted this year.
"Many dirty hands were needed to help make this a successful project. It was a good way to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day," Harms said. "We've had college clubs, cub scouts, New Wilmington first-graders, ¾¨Ó㴫ý pre-school children, and volunteers from various civic organizations planting trees native to this area."
Harms greeted the preschoolers with enthusiasm.
"You will have a good time today doing something worthwhile for yourself and the earth," Harms said. "This is a scientific study that has a personal element in it"¦you."
He guided them to the six-acre plot called the Microforest, where only trees native to this area such as sugar maples, hickories, oaks, tuliptrees, black walnuts, wild cherries, white pines and hemlocks are planted. The preschoolers were asked to write their names on two stakes that would be used to mark "their" trees, were given two seedlings, and guided to pre-dug holes.
Harms demonstrated how to properly plant the seedlings: one can of topsoil, one can peat moss, one more can top soil, mix the two together, place the seedling in the hole, and draw down the dirt to anchor the tree; and then water the tree with the special fertilized water. But the planting was not done yet.Â
"Put your stake near the tree, tell the tree you love it, and do the 'tree dance' (which he demonstrated) around the tree three times," Harms said. "You are part of history today. These are your trees, and I encourage you to visit you tree regularly to give it a hug and a lot of love."
"We started this project in 1991 when the first American elms resistant to Dutch elm disease were grown for the Microforest," Harms said. "With this year's planting, we will have over 500 trees planted since the project began. Our goal is to reconstruct this area into a forest that is reminiscent of the forest in Penn's Woods before deforestation in our area in the 18th and 19th centuries."
"Each individual tree is identified and cataloged in our record book," Harms continued. "Each person who planted a tree is listed, and we document the survival and growth of these trees for posterity. The planter actually "owns" the tree, but must leave the tree with us for our study."
For more information, contact Harms at (724) 946-8520 or e-mail harmsc@westminster.edu.
