Volunteers needed to plant trees on base

  • Published
  • By Glyn Gardner
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Volunteers needed

Eielson's trees are truly a resource to be proud of.

Eielson was the first tree city community within Alaska and recently celebrated it's 14th anniversary.

As urban and native forests are actively managed to provide shade, wind breaks, color, fuel, as well as visual and sound barriers for our community. Trees provide shelter and food to wildlife; create a protective erosion belt around our surface waters; and improve air quality.

A tradition was started three years ago on base to plant trees during fall. Growth and developmental sprawl place constant pressure on boreal forest; fall tree planting in a small way replace some of the flora loss due to Eielson mission expansion.

Trees are typically delivered to base in one or two large shipments to cut down on transportation cost. It is critical to transplant these trees is a timely manner.

To accomplish this, the natural resource office solicits base volunteers to help transplant these trees. A shipment of one hundred trees consisting of Siberian Larch, White Shrub and European Ash are scheduled to arrive Sept. 17.

Natural resources has also purchased approximately 20 shrubs and hopes to transplant another 10 shrubs near the front gate to supplement the front gate plantings of last year. If an adequate number of people volunteer, natural resource hopes to transplant birch and white spruce trees from neighboring forests into select urban setting.

The birch trees are typically planted to form canopies over walkways or in front of south facing buildings to provide summer shade. White spruce trees are usually planted to create visional or sound barriers.

Last year, natural resources started an incentive program of providing base residents a tree to plant in their yard for helping plant trees in the program, this year natural resources hopes to expand this reward system to include squadrons.

Natural resources will help ensure the tree planting location each resident chooses is compatible. In the past this experience was enjoyed by whole families with children excitedly choosing their tree planting location. To sign up, call Mr. Tom Slater or Mr. Brent Koenen at 377-5182 and sign up to help beautify Eielson.