BETHEL CITIZEN • June 16, 2021
Inland Woods + Trails, a non-profit dedicated to increasing economic prosperity through the development of recreational trails, hosted four days of volunteer tree planting in the Bethel Community Forest in April and May. Over the course of those days nearly 10,000 trees—a variety of pine, spruce, red oak and maple—were planted. Volunteers hiked over a mile to the planting site, an area that was heavily logged by the previous landowners. They worked together in pairs or families to dig holes, tuck the roots in, and fold the soil back. For the deciduous trees, they placed a tube around the sapling, protecting the tender buds from becoming snacks for deer. This was truly a community effort. ~ Sarah Weafer, The Staff at Inland Woods + Trails, Bethel