Planting the Next Generation

Feb 13, 2019 at 4:00pm

Sonoma Resource Conservation District

"We lost so many trees to the fire, we jumped at this opportunity to begin restoring our cherished woodlands. We look forward to seeing them grow up along with the naturally regenerating oaks on the property."

- Susan Keegin, Sonoma Creek landowner

In January, the RCD team completed its first official “ReOaking” project within a regional planting effort that developed after the North Bay wildfires. Working at a 40 acre property in Kenwood that was impacted directly by the fall 2017 wildfires, four different species totaling 125 oak trees were planted, along with 25 other species of oak woodland plants such as Buckeye, Toyon, and Coyote Brush.

The installation was made possible with the hard work of the Sonoma Ecology Center and Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation restoration crews, and financial support from the North Bay Watershed Association. This is the beginning of a broader regional effort working with the Napa County RCD and other partners to restore oak woodland plants to areas where this type of habitat is diminishing. Properties impacted by fire have been ranked as a high priority for this effort.