19,000 Seedlings Planted Near Cle Elum

By Kyle Smith, Washington Forest Manager for The Nature Conservancy

We planted 19,000 seedlings of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and western white pine last week on Cle Elum Ridge to continue restoration efforts following the Jolly Mountain Fire that occurred on the Central Cascades Forest of 2017.

To date more than 71,000 trees have been planted using reforestation crews, volunteers and our own trustees and staff.

The sites chosen for reforestation focused on areas where the fire burned most severely and in highly erodible areas. The trees will help stabilize soils and prevent landslides from impacting homes and communities downslope of the Central Cascades Forests property

Crew plants seedlings in an area of Cle Elum Ridge burned by the Jolly Mountain Fire. © Kyle Smith/TNC

Funding for all 71,000 trees used in the restoration was paid for by a grant from the Arbor Day Foundation and the funding for reforestation contract crews was contributed by Boeing.. We want to thank those two organizations and all of our contractors, partners, and staff that helped make this effort possible.