Girl Scouts help plant 800 trees in Pierpont Township

Apr. 20—PIERPONT — Girl Scouts from across northeastern Ohio learned how to plant trees on Saturday at Snowy Oak Tree Farm.

Paul Mechling, farm owner and a member of the Ohio Forestry Advisor Council, was asked to participate in the tree planting by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

"We had a pretty good work crew. They planted 800 white oak trees," Mechling said.

He said there were about 30 Girl Scouts, 10 employees of the Ohio Division of Forestry and other volunteers from as far away as Lorain County, Holmes County and Richland County.

Monica Swain is the troop advisor for Girl Scout Troop 71495 in Richmond Heights.

"They sent us an email," she said of how the troop heard about the event.

Milan Swain, 8, of the Richmond Heights troop was all smiles.

"How to plant a tree," was what she said she learned from the trip to Pierpont.

Division of Forestry Program Coordinator Kelsey Bradley said the event was part of Ohio's commitment to plant 250,000 trees in five years. She said the commitment was part of a national commitment to plant five million trees in five years.

"Last year was the first year," Bradley said.

Mechling said the trees were three-year-old white oaks.

The Girl Scouts met at the farm's main building and then drove about a quarter mile up the road to the planting area.

The girls, and the leaders, walked about a half mile into a field where the trees would be planted.

The girls planted about 600 trees by hand and then viewed a demonstration of how trees could be planted using a tractor. He said the girls could then see how equipment can make a job easier.

The Girl Scouts will receive a merit badge for completing the project.