By Joslyn DelSignore / The Jambar
Youngstown State University students and community volunteers planted 1,750 trees, representing 17 different native species Nov. 13 at Mill Creek MetroParks Fordyce Wildlife Sanctuary in North Lima. The program aimed to plant one tree for every incoming YSU first-year student.
The Legacy Forest Program hosts the annual project in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote soil and water conservation and provide wildlife habitat.
The program is entirely funded by donors and partnered with community organizations, such as FirstEnergy Corp., Mill Creek MetroParks, Boardman Subaru and Mahoning Duck Hunting and Conservation Club.
Since the program’s founding in 2020, it has seen growth in community support. This year, it welcomed 120 volunteers, which included 80 students and 40 community volunteers. In the past five years, the project has planted a total of 8,740 trees.
The program began preparation for the event in the spring. Catherine Cala and Colleen McLean, members of the YSU Legacy Forest committee, said they hosted meetings, discussed what species of trees they wanted to plant and set a date for the event in the fall.
The morning of the event, students and volunteers prepare the trees and soil for planting. They begin by creating zones for each species of tree, then decide where they should be planted to make the process easier. In the afternoon, the volunteers work to plant all of the trees.
“It’s a real celebration,” McLean said. “Over the years, we’ve had volunteers who have come every year. Our list of collaborators and community stakeholders has grown. We just have amazing community support.”
Rowen Silvers, freshman chemistry major, minoring in environmental studies, said volunteering to plant the trees gives an individual sense of involvement to worldwide environmental issues.
“Learning more and more about the harm that’s going on with climate change and ecocide, it can be overwhelming and you can feel like, ‘What can I do? What is planting these trees really going to do?’ But through doing this planting with Legacy Forest, it kind of reminds you that you can still do something,” Silvers said.
As the program grows each year, Silvers said actions on a smaller scale, like the Legacy Forest Program, can still help the health of the planet.
“If enough people try to do something, maybe something small, that’s enough to make a big change because there’s a lot of us on this planet. And we all live different lives, different lifestyles, different priorities, but we all need this planet,” Silvers said.
The program plans to continue planting trees and expanding, including maintaining and expanding partnerships, while also engaging more students and community members.