The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana Plants Their 10,000th Tree in Braithwaite, LA
Saturday, April 2nd was the culmination of a two-year effort to rebuild one of Louisiana’s once mighty coastal forests.
The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Habitat Restoration Program in partnership with the Restore the Earth Foundation (REF), Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF), the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and 46 volunteers planted the final 1,165 trees in the Caernarvon Diversion Outfall in St. Bernard Parish, reaching the goal of planting 10,000 trees in the area.
The 10,000 trees initiative began in the fall of 2014 and set out to restore 80 acres of coastal forest that were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac. In all, 800 volunteers donated 6,400 hours of their time to help restore this vital natural buffer by planting tree species which included red swamp maple, bald cypress, blackgum and water tupelo.
The Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion Project Outfall Area is on the border of St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes, just south of New Orleans. This once beautiful coastal forest was deforested at the turn of the 20th century and due to more recent hurricanes and storms, major erosion has taken place. By planting these saplings with a protective, nutria shield we have seen a 77% survival rate, which means this coastal forest will once again help protect the area from future storm surge. It has the added benefit of restoring the area’s natural fish and wildlife habitat and creating new land in the process. This newly planted forest also benefits from the fresh water and sediment that is diverted from the Mississippi River through the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion.
This is just the first step in restoring our coastal forests. CRCL, REF, LPBF and CPRA are committed to planting another 10,000 trees beginning in the fall of 2016.
Be on the lookout for great volunteer opportunities surrounding this and other important restoration projects.
You can get a full calendar of CRCL’s Habitat Restoration projects by visiting crcl.org.
Brittany Boyke coordinates the CRCL Habitat Restoration Program, including site selection, plant selection and volunteers. She has a BS in Natural Resource Ecology and Management with a Concentration in Wetland Ecology from LSU. She was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, but graduated from Pearland High School in Texas. She has lived primarily between the two states.