Students Plant 170 Trees

On October 23rd, 2018,  the entire 7th grade at Mayfield Woods Middle School had the opportunity to plant trees on their school grounds. The tree planting project was part of Howard County’s Students Branching Out program.

Students Branching Out is a partnership between Howard County Recreation and Parks Department, the Howard County Office of Community Sustainability and the Howard County Public School System. Thank you to all the partners and the administrators, staff and teachers we worked with at Mayfield Woods! Everyone did a fantastic job.

On our tree planting day, students learned how to properly plant a tree. The day before, two volunteer Master Watershed Stewards and one County employee provided educational presentations about watersheds, the benefits of trees, and details about which native trees they would be planting.

Students were able to plant 170 trees! Some even got to put mulch on the trees and add tree stakes and shelters. County employees finished up the deer protection the next day. Beautiful weather and a hands-on project allowed everyone the chance to enjoy the experience of planting a tree. Most of the students had not planted a tree before and many had not used a shovel before. It is our hope that getting the students outside and participating in this project that benefits our watersheds (and more) will have a lasting effect on the students and the environment.

Please visit the Students Branching Out webpage for more information, videos, and a list of the schools that have participated so far.