GROWING SHADE
Agriculture collective will plant trees at local farm for Earth Week
Boulder County collective Drylands Agroecology Research, a nonprofit group, wants volunteers to celebrate Earth Week by planting trees at a local farm.
Set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday and next Saturday, DAR’S events aim to plant 5,000 new trees at Metacarbon Organic Farm, 4640 Hygiene Road, in Hygiene.
Anthony Levy, land stewardship specialist with DAR, said the trees planted at Metacarbon Farm will help the land become a regenerative horse grazing ecosystem.
“Normally, horses are associated with speeding up desertification,” Levy explained. “But, if managed properly, horses can actually be a great resource for the land.”
With 23 land partners throughout Colorado, DAR is a collective of farmers, scientists and activists focused on regenerative agricultural practices. Levy explained that the group’s mission is to restore natural environments for everyone and everything that calls them home.
“We’re bringing the community together to not just regenerate the landscapes, but also regenerate the culture that’s required in a community…to do something right now to prevent the climate crisis,” Levy said. “We’re really building climate resilience together.”
DAR has been hosting tree planting events to commemorate Earth Day for roughly five years. This year, DAR hopes to bring 150 volunteers to Metacarbon Farm between the two days to plant 50 different species of trees.
Both days will be led by experts from DAR who will teach volunteers how to properly plant bare root trees.
“We want to utilize all of our land partner sites as a training ground for really developing and helping to educate the next generation of land stewards,” Levy said.
Businesses have also agreed to donate trees or send over some employee volunteers, including Cemex Lyons and Boulder’s Apple Store on 29th Street. Volunteers will also get to enjoy live music and food from local sustainable providers, such as Moxie Bread Co. in Lyons.
“We really just want to make it a celebration,” Levy said. “It’s really important if people are going to come out to be able to give back to them.” Levy said that while it’s great to see so much support from partners and volunteers, there will always be land in the community that needs care and attention.
“When we look at the amount of work that needs to be done, even just here in Boulder County, we’re going to need all hands on deck,” he said. “We’re hoping that this is an inspiration for even more.”
This weekend’s event is already full for volunteer participation, but next Saturday’s tree planting day still has spots open. To register, visit dar.eco/ events.