Twenty community volunteers and District 742 employees have come together to take on the Clearview Forest restoration project.

 

Clearview Elementary is working with the Dept of Natural Resources (DNR), which has proposed a 10-year plan to restore the 42-acre forest.

 

The enthusiastic group has a wealth of knowledge and experience between them, including engineering, grounds keeping, logging and project management. Barth Buehrer stepped forward as lead facilitator. 

 

Wednesday night, 11 members of the team met to discuss logistics and create an action plan to get the project rolling.

 

Bryan Brown, head of buildings and grounds at District 742, informed the group he would be able to commit $5,000 to $7,000 towards the project this year, and said he would continue to budget funds annually for as long as the project takes.

 

Although volunteers aren’t allowed to run district equipment, Brown said he could make arrangements for his grounds crew to come out and do so when they have down time.

 

He stressed to the group it was important for everyone to fill out a volunteer form before beginning to work on the project, as it allows them to be covered by the district’s insurance and clears them to be a district volunteer.

 

One of the first things volunteers will begin working on this fall is the removal of invasive species. After removal, topical herbicides will be needed to clear away the stumps and kill off the roots.

 

Brown said an American Legion organization has asked if they could have any large Red Cedar trees that were removed. The group has a sawmill to turn the trees into lumber, after which they built patio furniture and raffle it off. Veterans make the furnitureand all the money raised goes to local organizations.

 

The DNR indicated as long as trees aren’t sick or diseased they can be removed from the property. The group agreed the Legion would make a great partnership, and also considered the Boy Scouts brainstorming ways to repurpose some of the removed wood.

 

A discussion was held on where to begin the restoration work, with volunteer Luke Gruett recommending two acres at the back of the site, as the area is back against an old road and will give them a clear path to work with.

 

A second possibility discussed was to start close to the school so students and the public can watch it progress.

 

It was decided before a decision could be made the forest would need to be walked through more thoroughly to get a better idea of its layout. Areas where trails could be created to take advantage of scenic views and microclimates also need to be mapped out beforehand.

 

The group formed committees to head different aspects of the project, and concluded the meeting with a number of the volunteers going out to the forest to get a better feel for what the restoration will entail.

 

The project is slated to begin this fall.