Volunteers from the AISWCD Forestry Committee, SWCDs, and 4-H
Trees are on their way to distribution, thanks to volunteers from the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts Forestry Committee, local Soil & Water Conservation District, and 4-H (from left) David McCormick (Brown County Soil & Water Conservation District), Jason Anderson (Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation District), Curt Sinclair (Illinois 4-H), Ashley Curran (AISWCD Grant Writer), Steve Stierwalt (Champaign County Soil & Water Conservation District), Dale & Linda Shumaker (Pulaski-Alexander Soil & Water Conservation District and AISWCD Forestry Committee Chair), Nicolette Pysson (Henry County Soil & Water Conservation District), Josh Curry (Henry County Soil & Water Conservation District), Jessica Grissom (Mercer County Soil & Water Conservation District, Bruce Davis (Menard County Soil & Water Conservation District), and Chuck Schafer (Peoria County Soil & Water Conservation District) Thursday morning March 28, 2024 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
For the third year the AISWCD Forestry Committee and Illinois Extension 4-H have partnered for a statewide tree planting. This effort will utilize the strengths of the statewide network of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the educational and youth development programs of University of Illinois Extension to create an oak recovery and tree planting educational program.
The eventual goal is to restore the traditional oak savannas across the state. Local projects will plant red, white, and bur oaks on public land. Now 1,125 oak trees are en route to local Soil & Water Conservation Districts around the state for 44 more oak savanna projects.
Jason Anderson of the Montgomery CSWCD, Steve Stierwalt of the Champaign CSWCD, Chuck Schafer of the Peoria CSWCD (from left) load oak seedlings onto a trailer as they help with distribution for the AISWCD Forestry Committee’s oak savanna project Thursday morning at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
Dale Shumaker (left) of the Pulaski-Alexander SWCD and AISWCD Forestry Committee Chair counts out oak seedlings to be split for distribution to local SWCDs around the state as he organizes the distribution of the committee’s oak savanna project.
Red oak seedlings
Chuck Schafer of the Peoria CSWCD
Nicolette Pysson of the Henry CSWCD
Josh Curry of the Henry CSWCD
David McCormick of the Brown CSWCD
Jason Anderson of the Montgomery CSWCD
Jessica Grissom of the Mercer CSWCD
Bruce Davis of the Menard CSWCD
Curt Sinclair, of Winchester and with the Illinois Extension 4-H
Steve Stierwalt of the Champaign CSWCD
