Army of volunteers plants small forest near Curtz Lake

More than 100 volunteers braved snow flurries Arbor Day to plant 500 Jeffrey pine seedlings on the recently treated BLM land around Curtz Lake near the Alpine County Airport, according to Alpine County Wildfire Project Coordinator Clint Celio.

“A big thanks to the Sugar Pine Foundation for providing the seedlings, the BLM for the location and coordinating the planting activities, the Alpine Watershed Group for all the logistical and administrative support, and the Alpine Trails Association for the use of tools and guidance in seedling planting near planned trails,” Celio said.

Arbor Day was Friday with tree plantings occurring in Gardnerville, Genoa and Alpine County.

Gardnerville, which was named a Tree City USA for the 21^st year in a row, planted three trees at the Stodick detention basin at Kittyhawk and Toler Lane with the help of Girl and Boy Scouts.

The trees were a chestnut, a northern catalpa and a linden along the edge of the turf in the basin.

Town representative Eric Matus said the trees will provide good shade cover for the basin, which also serves as a park.

There was also a tree planting near the former East Fork Hotel in memory of Basque Landscaping owner Juan Leonis’ family.

Genoans planted a fire maple in the town park on Friday.