Seedling Order Form
Below is a letter from Marty France to the Mountain Shadows residents concerning seedlings. Marty received the Spirit of the Springs Award for his post Waldo Canyon Fire mitigation efforts with Air Force Academy cadets and other volunteers.
Dear Mountain Shadows Residents,
We're in the early stages of planning some very exciting recovery, mitigation, and reforestation projects for the spring along the lines of our two big projects last fall that used volunteer labor from USAFA cadets and others in our community. Amy Sylvester from CSFD has submitted a grant request for about two thousand seedling trees as part of the State of Colorado's Wildfire Recovery Program. These seedlings (mostly conifers like junipers, ponderosa and pinon pines, but some deciduous trees like plum trees and lilac bushes) are for use on PRIVATE property. The conifers would primarily be for use in natural areas on lots in "upper Mountain Shadows" while the deciduous trees could be planted closer to houses. If the grant application is successful, we should hear soon about how many of each type of tree we're going to get. The seedlings should arrive in mid- to late-April. Our tentative plans are to distribute the seedlings and provide help in planting on or about Arbor Day (weekend of 27-28 April) at the same time that the City Forestry Office (POC is Becky Lamphear) is planning an event that will be staged out of Chipeta Elementary School to provide up to 150 large (~ 5 ft tall) pine trees for the neighborhood.
Right now, we don't know how many FREE trees we're going to get (maybe no more than 500), but we're also looking into other sources of funds that would help us buy even more seedlings (delivered at the same time) at a discounted price, and you can also buy some of your own.
In the near term, we need to know the following:
- Would you like to participate in this program?
- If so, how many seedlings would you like to request? (broken down as conifer and deciduous)
- If you don't receive as many FREE seedlings as requested, would you like buy more on your own?
- Would you like cadet help in planting your seedlings?
I'll make this easy; just click here to see the Google.docs spreadsheet I've created for this effort and fill in the blanks. I'll be editing this as the program/effort matures. Check back often!
Click here to download and print the order form for those seedlings. You can order those on your own NOW, if you'd like and pay for them out of your own pocket (with a 10% discount). Please write on the form that this is for the Mountain Shadows Reforestation/Seedling Effort coordinated by Amy Sylvester and Marty France so that the trees will all be delivered together.
A few more points:
- By accepting any seedlings, you're also committing to watering them and helping them survive to become majestic co-residents of Mountain Shadows. Click here to download and print a PDF detailing Seedling Survival Accessories. Don't plan on getting enough plum trees to have your own orchard, or enough pinon and juniper to fully reforest your two-acre lot. There's a very high demand.
- Since lots of 25 or 30 are the minimum for seedlings, small potted and regular potted, we recommended that neighbors consider pooling their needs into one order in situations where they don't each need the minimum lot size.
- Orders are processed on a first come, first served basis. Therefore, returning the order forms now is a great idea. Ponderosas typically do not run out—while more specialized trees will.
- Planted trees should not be expected to grow much in height for the first 2 years while their roots get established.
Finally, we will NOT be having a formal Chipper Event this Spring. We are scheduled with the City for one in the late Summer, the same week as last year (beginning on 26 Aug). I'm already planning cadet help for that again.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this process.
Sincerely,
Marty France
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Colorado Springs Together is an independent 501(c)(3) Non-Profit:
Colorado Springs Together is a community-driven volunteer effort, and is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The team members are distinguished citizens, business professionals and dedicated public servants in the community, facilitating and coordinating a quick and effective rebuilding process for the neighborhoods devastated on June 26, 2012, by the Waldo Canyon Fire.
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