Building Resilience Across Blaine County
Through Forest Restoration and Tree Planting Project
Two volunteer planting events in Blaine County are the first phase of a partnership with Arbor Day Foundation and their corporate partners to advance citizen investment in forest restoration in the local community and throughout the Wood River Valley. Cox Enterprises generously donated to the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) to provide funds to purchase trees and cover other costs of planting in Blaine County. The primary facilitators and organizers of this project are Hannah Harris of the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience (SVIR) and Lance Davidson, of The Keystone Concept (TKC).
This partnership with ADF aligns directly with the goals of the Wood River Valley Collaborative Forest Enhancement Project (WRV CFEP) and the 5B Climate Action Network (CAN) and will catalyze future investment in the health and resilience of the region’s forest resources under the leadership of SVIR and TKC.
The first volunteer planting event took place on October 6th, 2023. Nelson Mills, Forester for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, supervised the Cox employee volunteers and other volunteers to plant approximately 300 Douglas Fir seedlings. The seedlings came from the Forests Service’s Lucky Peak Nursery and were planted within the burn area of the Ross Fork Fire.
The second planting event will take place around the playground equipment on May 18, 2024, at Kiwanis Park. Twelve trees will be planted by Cox volunteers, Hailey Tree Committee members, and other local community volunteers. The trees are a mix of conifers, deciduous, and fruit trees appropriate for the site.
