Spring means planting Sugar Pine around Lake Tahoe

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not” — Dr. Seuss
As you may know, sugar pines and other white pines are plagued by a non-native invasive pathogen. White pine blister rust kills about 90 percent of sugar pines it infects. Scientists and restoration managers have agreed that the only effective restoration strategy is to identify seed trees resistant to the rust and plant their progeny. That is exactly what the Sugar Pine Foundation does and you can help too. Last fall, a volunteer described planting sugar pines as “creating life in our neck of the woods.”

For all of you that have been inspired by the recent release of Dr. Seuss “The Lorax,” this will be the perfect opportunity to turn that inspiration into action and do you part in bringing back the Sugar Pines. The Sugar Pine Foundation has 4,000 young sugar pines to plant in Tahoe this spring. On the South Shore, there will be two Community Plantings. The first one is on Earth Day, Saturday April 28th at Bijou Community Park. There will be a morning group starting at 11:30am and an afternoon group around 2pm. The second planting is on Saturday, May 5th at 10am in Glenbrook. May 5 is also Climate Impact Day, so the planting will be a part of Connect the Dots campaign http://www.climatedots.org/. You can also buy a sugar pine to plant in your own yard at one of the SPF events or on their website www.sugarpinefoundation.org.

The SPF’s spring planting blitz begins in late April goes into Mid May. During this time of the year, the soil is naturally moistened from snowmelt and conditions are ideal for giving young seedlings a good start. However, this year our snowpack is below average, which means it will be harder for the seedlings to survive. If you can’t make it to a planting maybe you can volunteer as a caregiver to one of the restoration sites and bring the trees some much needed water in the dry summer months.

The goal of the SPF is to help save Tahoe’s glorious sugar pines by planting blister rust-resistant seedlings throughout the Tahoe area. “We like to involve local students and community members in our restoration work and teach them about forest health,” says Maria Mircheva, SPF Executive Director. “We aim to inspire them to become forest stewards.” This spring, 20 Lake Tahoe Community College and 50 Sierra Nevada College students will be planting with the Sugar Pine Foundation as well. Since 2008, the Foundation has planted over 700 acres with over 42,000 sugar pines and other native trees to maintain Tahoe’s legacy of beautiful, healthy forests. We need your to reach our goal of planting 50,000 sugar pines in 5 years!

SPF Spring 2012 Planting Schedule:
— Saturday, April 28th 11:30am and 2pm: Earth Day Planting in South Lake Tahoe - Park at the Lake Tahoe Community College and walk across Al Tahoe Blvd to enjoy Earth day festivities and plant sugar pines in Bijou Community Park.

— Saturday, May 5th 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Community Planting in Glenbrook, Nevada – Stop at the gate and get directions to the tennis courts. The planting is in the area above the tennis courts.

— Saturday, May 12th 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Waddle Ranch Planting in Truckee - Meet at the Truckee Airport parking lot. Bring a 4WD vehicle or ride in the Airport Van to the planting site.

For more information, call Maria Mircheva at 650-814-9565, visit www.sugarpinefoundation.org, or email admin@sugarpinefoundation.org.