A group of volunteers is working to plant 10,000 trees to turn a field back into a forest.
Each flag in a field at Hearst San Simeon State Park will soon be a Monterey pine tree. This year, Evelyn Mulhearn and her family brought their 4-year-old daughter, Ava, to plant trees that will grow up alongside her.
“Who knows?" Mulhearn said. "Maybe she'll be able to come back here in the future with her children and continue this wonderful project.”
Volunteers gathered for the eighth year to help a reforestation effort hosted by Greenspace, The Cambria Land Trust.
Brian Keeley, a Greenspace board member, said their work goes beyond planting trees; they’re also scattering native seeds into the turned soil.
“We might be able to infuse a little bit of native habitat into these areas, and hopefully we'll be creating a forest and not a plantation," Keeley said.
Each year, volunteers take one day to plant 1,000 trees, on their way to the goal of 10,000 trees in 10 years to reforest one of the last five native Monterey pine stands in the world.
Karin Argano, the executive director of Greenspace, said planting Monterey pines might not be sustainable as this program progresses.
"Planting trees, especially right now, is so important with what's going on with climate change, and right now the pines are good but probably past my lifetime," Argano said. "It may be too warm here for the pines and will maybe transition to oak trees.”
For this project, Greenspace is working in collaboration with California State Parks to rehabilitate areas within the state park. Volunteers have been planting trees in this area of the state park for four years.
Argano said around 75 volunteers came to the tree planting on Saturday. She said it’s inspiring to see community members from different generations come together to give back to the environment.
Kari Campmas brought her family to volunteer at the event.
“We are just nature lovers, planet lovers and animal lovers," Campmas said. "So we knew it was just an easy way to contribute. Financially, we can't right now, but this is what we can come out here and do, so we're happy to be here.”
To join next year's tree planting or get involved in Greenspace, visit their website.
