This Friday, 18 students and 2 teachers from the Friends School of Baltimore came out to Irvine to volunteer in our reforestation area. Friends’ Middle School has been a long-time partner of Irvine, and Friends students actually helped with initial plantings in the reforestation area several years ago!
The reforestation area was looking a little rough after a long winter. Tree tubes had fallen over, many wooden stakes had rotted, and some trees were growing in diagonally! The students spent a few hours re-staking and straightening trees, and cleaning up over 50 tree tubes to either be recycled or reused for other plantings.
Tree tubes are vital for reforestation projects because they protect saplings from their number one predator: the white-tailed deer. Deer will often browse on the leaves of young trees, reducing their chance of survival. Bucks will also rub their antlers against saplings, severely damaging the bark and making the trees susceptible to disease. Thanks to the hard work of Friends School volunteers, the trees will be protected from deer for another year!
Thanks again, Friends students!
