New trees added to YSU Legacy Forests initiative
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CANFIELD – Just because Adam Kliem is majoring in business and has little experience with plantings doesn’t mean that he’s unable to get down to the business of plantings.
“I’m a business major, but I’m interested in pursuing a variety of environmental opportunities. It’s a good way to get your foot in the door to do some hands-on work,” Kliem, a Youngstown State University freshman, said.
Kliem was among an estimated 100 YSU students and volunteers who, despite unfavorable weather conditions, rolled up their sleeves to plant about 1,750 native trees that represented 19 or 20 species during a tree-planting gathering Thursday in George L. Fordyce Park, 1402 W. Calla Road.
The all-day event also was part of the university’s annual Legacy Forests initiative.
The primary goals were to mitigate the effects of climate change, provide a viable habitat and positive ecosystem for wildlife and remove invasive foliage that competes with native trees and shrubs, Rachel Sobnosky, Mill Creek MetroParks’ natural resources manager, noted.
The plantings took place in a 10-acre, fenced-in portion of the 500-acre park, part of which had been land used for agriculture, she said.
Also at work to add eventual greenery were Serene Awad and Sam Esposito, both of whom are YSU alumni members. Awad was in the university’s Environmental Sciences program and Esposito graduated in May with a degree in environmental science.
“I started doing this in my freshman year,” Esposito said, adding that he was grateful to do his part to restore a healthy ecosystem and reduce the carbon footprint.
The Mahoning County Land Bank supplied some of the saplings, he said.
The “high value” property on which Thursday’s project took place is protected from development, said Gary Davenport, a YSU Legacy Forests committee member and natural resources assistant with the Clean Ohio District 6 program, which serves Mahoning and Trumbull counties via offering state-funded grants for stream and wetland restoration, greenspace conservation and the protection of natural corridors. The Eastgate Regional Council of Governments administers the program, along with its Natural Resource Assistance Council.
The Clean Ohio Conservation Fund program provides 75% matches for local dollars to buy properties through the program, Davenport said. He added that the land on which Thursday’s plantings occurred had been acquired four or five years ago from a private owner, then used, in part, for wetland remediation.
Davenport also said that, through Clean Ohio, parcels can be bought from private owners and repurposed for waterways, wetlands and general natural resources.
Also, the Ohio Public Works Commission offers grants to protect eligible properties into perpetuity, with applicants that include local governments as well as park and conservation districts, along with environmental and conservation organizations, according to the OPWC’s website.
Legacy Forests sought to plant one tree for each incoming freshman while encouraging students to be part of environmental-sustainability efforts, Davenport said.
With this year’s project, the Legacy Forests initiative will have planted 10,750 trees since 2020, according to a YSU news release earlier this week.