Members of the Kelly family of Los Alamos get ready to plant a Douglas fir seedling. Photo by Craig MartinCOMMUNITY News:
More than 75 volunteers from Los Alamos and throughout northern New Mexico planted about 2,100 Douglas fir seedlings in the Las Conchas fire burned area on the Santa Fe National Forest April 12-13.
The 9-inch tall trees were planted along the trail to Cañada Bonita near the Nordic Ski Tracks.
The seedlings were grown from seeds collected at the same elevation in northern New Mexico and stored for up to 20 years in a freezer in Boise, Idaho.
After the fire, the foresters from the Santa Fe National Forest ordered about 100,000 trees to begin the reforestation of the burned area.
About 10,000 trees will be planted by volunteers in 56 acres along the popular trail to the Cañada Bonita meadow.
Others have been planted by contract planters in the Cochiti Mesa and other areas affected by the 2011 fire.
Volunteer tree planting continues for the next two weekends. Anyone who would like to volunteer April 27 should contact Craig Martin (cmartin@losalamos.com) or Jennifer Sublett (jasublett@fs.fed.us).
Volunteers place a mesh basket around a Douglas fir seedling to protect it from browsing elk. Photo by Craig Martin
Volunteers work in a severely burned area along the Cañada Bonita Trail. Photo by Craig Martin
