This spring, DEC staff helped Pine Valley Central School students fulfill their community service project on the topic of habitat conservation! A class of 35 seventh and eighth graders helped DEC plant 200 seedlings within a recently harvested area on Boutwell Hill State Forest.
Before being harvested, the forest in this area consisted entirely of Norway spruce trees. These trees were originally planted in the 1930’s to convert abandoned farmland to forest and stabilize degraded soil. However, the Norway spruce were now showing signs of decline and providing minimal habitat benefits. The recent harvest will allow the forest to naturally regenerate to native northern hardwood species and a mix of conifers.
Through their community service project, the Pine Valley Central School students planted trees that will provide valuable wildlife benefit and add to the species diversity of the area. The students planted native white pine, red spruce, and tamarack seedlings that were provided by the Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery. Students learned about the positive benefits that forest management and timber harvests can create for wildlife that rely on young forests, as well as DEC’s Young Forest Initiative. The students’ work also aligns with New York State’s goal to plant 25 million trees by 2033.
Pine Valley Central School students planted 200 tree seedlings at Boutwell Hill State Forest.