Garry Kicks Off The Planting Season!

Dear Diary,

The 37th planting season has started, can you believe it? I know that in Oregon white oak years, I’m just a kid. I’m only 37, and I could live to be 500! So this diary isn’t a mid-life crisis, or even a quarter-life crisis. I’ve just had some awesome experiences lately and want to write about them on paper and not just in my growth rings.

My leaves may be starting to turn and my friends are winding down toward winter dormancy, but I’m getting revved up for the Friends of Trees planting season. I went to my first event of the season last week and wow, the vibes were so good.

You know me, I’m a savanna kind of tree. But that’s what made going to Jackson Bottom Wetlands such a refreshing change of pace! This 635 acre wetland is really somethin’ special. So many birds were flying overhead! Our planting season kicks off there in October before the rains come. Turns out, wetlands can be pretty dry…until they aren’t.

But no muckboots were needed as 60 volunteers rolled in on that gorgeous Saturday morning. You know those crispy mornings when you can tell that the sun is going to come up warm and burn off the mist? It was one of those! Ugh, it just feels so good. I just love fall mornings like that.

Volunteers arrived with their families or friends or even by themselves, ready to feel good by doing good. We even had Hillsboro’s Japanese Community Day volunteers bring a group of 12 for their 27th year(!) working at Jackson Bottom. This is Friends of Trees’ 12th season at Jackson Bottom, and it is so exciting to see how much impact our volunteers have had. I love the crew huddle where we get to know each other. And stretch!

Oh yeah, I mentioned feeling good a couple times already. I should probably mention that that’s our theme this year:

FEEL GOOD. DO GOOD. PLANT TREES.

Makes sense right? People plant trees and native plants for so many reasons. To get outside, to make their communities greener, to provide bugs and critters with food and homes, to fight the big bad villain that is climate change. I think everyone does it because it feels good to do good.

There’s so much going on in the world. It can be rough, even for me, an Oregon white oak that is going to live for 500 years. So it’s nice to spend a Saturday morning meeting new people and planting a buttload of trees.

So that’s what we did! We planted 600 black cottonwoods! Populus trichocarpa are dear friends of mine, and I think they are gonna LOVE it on the forested edge of this wetland. Especially after being planted by people who care about trees, about community, and who make sure to take care of each other, too.

By midmorning, there were so many flannels and fleeces piled by the trail. It warmed up, just like I knew it would, and the sun shone on so many smiling faces. I just kept thinking, enjoy each moment, get to know each tree.

The season is just getting started! I may accidentally leave this diary somewhere someone might find it. That’s okay, this isn’t a secret diary. If you’re reading this, COME PLANT TREES WITH US. IT WILL FEEL AWESOME!

Tree-mendously yours,

Garry

P.S. Sign up to volunteer already!

P.P.S. You can support these good vibes and good trees by donating!