Greenview School is home to an oak
tree savanna
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[April 08, 2024]
Greenview
School District #200 in Menard County is now home to an oak tree
savanna thanks to local youth and community members. The group of 25
oak trees, called a savanna, will breathe new life into oak-hickory
forests currently under threat in Illinois.
The 4-H Green Communities Tree Program focuses on tackling global
issues at a local level.
“Oak savannas are being overtaken by invasive species, as well as
more shade-tolerant trees, such as maples,” says Curt Sinclair,
University of Illinois Extension 4-H specialist. “Illinois 4-H is
primed to take action to increase the number of oak trees in the
state. The natural world is talking to us, and Illinois 4-H is
primed to listen, learn, and act.”
George Staab, a member of the Menard County Soil and Water
Conservation District, selected the planting site in collaboration
with school district superintendent Ryan Heavner and Natasha Bacon,
a school board member and co-leader of the Greenview Boosters 4-H
Club. Heavner envisions adding picnic tables and an outdoor learning
space once the trees mature and provide shade.
On April 4th, 16 youth members of the Greenview Boosters 4-H Club
and 11 adults participated in the planting. Guy Sternberg
facilitated the educational process on oak tree planting techniques
and shared essential precautions for nurturing young trees
particularly during this year’s anticipated cicada emergence. Youth
teamed with adult volunteers from the Menard County Soil and Water
Conservation District, Menard County Extension, Starhill Forest
Arboretum and other community members to properly position and plant
the 25 oak trees. David Dowell pre-drilled a starter hole for each
tree. Knob Hill Landscape Company generously donated the mulch which
surrounds each tree.
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Throughout the spring of 2024,
youth in 43 counties throughout Illinois are planting groupings
of 25 oak trees on public properties in their counties, totaling
1,075 newly planted trees statewide. Over the past three years,
the program has seen a cumulative total of 2,800 new plantings.
The Greenview Boosters have participated with plantings in
Menard County for two consecutive years and hopes to continue
the tradition in 2025.
The 4-H Green Communities Tree Program aligns with
the "learn-by-doing" philosophy of 4-H and is guided by the
priorities of the Illinois Forest Action Plan. To help support this
project, please visit:
https://go.illinois.edu/
4hgreencommunity.
Support for this program was provided by Prairie Materials.
[WRITER: Stacie Skelton, Menard County
4-H Program Coordinator
SOURCE: Curt Sinclair, Illinois Extension 4-H Natural Resources and
Shooting Sports Specialist] |