Scouts Help Plant One Tree Per Minute

NEWTOWN SQUARE–On the morning of Oct. 8, scouts from Cub Pack 315 and Boy Scout Troop 315, both chartered by , marched with family, friends, 's EAC (Environmental Advisory Committee) members and tree experts from Steve Aardweg of Aardweg Landscaping onto the grounds to plant 60 trees–part of the TreeVitalize initiative to plant one million trees in Pennsylvania by 2014.

The effort was spearheaded by the EAC, involving Newtown Township road crew (delivering township compost/mulch and supplies), Episcopal Academy Facilities and Grounds crews (pre-augering holes, supplying water), and in close coordination with the Delaware County Conservation District assisting along the way.

The Delaware County Conservation District is overseeing nine other such projects this fall, all in the county, as part of the statewide TreeVitalize program to impede erosion damaged by stormwater and to fill in the lost 25 percent tree cover from development, agriculture and tree disease.

After a demo on how to plant a tree by Brian Vadino, a watershed specialist of the Delaware County Conservation District, master tree experts, members of the EAC and other volunteers divided into teams, six teams in total, each including four scouts. Digging began at 9 a.m. All the teams planted at the rate of a tree a minute which represented exceptional charge and focus by all. By 10 a.m., all trees were planted.

Next up was demo on how to install protective fencing against deer. This was completed by 10:45 a.m. Scouts, under the leadership of , made a police line to scour up anything man-made so as to render the entire premises as natural as possible. The entire project was successfully completed by 11 a.m. with the help of all the volunteers and experts that day.