Back to All Events

Public Orchards and Community Forestry Information Session and Volunteer Day (Copy)

  • DeYoung Natural Area (map)

All are welcome for a spring season plant maintenance and new planting of perennial edible plants. Edible and climate-adaptive trees are available to take for planting at home until they run out. 

We will support individual conversations and questions regarding community efforts for forest health, climate resilience, and perennial edible plants with people connected to Edible Trails Project, Salix Community Forestry Collective, Archangel Ancient Tree Archive and Crosshatch . There will be some educational materials available, and

Ellie Johnson, the District Forester for Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Benzie counties, will also be available to talk trees!

If you plan to assist with plant upkeep and transplanting, please wear sturdy shoes and pants. Tasks will include: applying mulch to plants and paths, weeding, and transplanting new sapling trees and shrubs.

All are welcome and encouraged to bring for a picnic lunch for noontime enjoyment (only water will be available, bring your own picnic or food to share).

This work is being done on a site for public enjoyment and education about edible plants adjacent to the Leelanau trail at the DeYoung Natural Area.

The Edible Trails Project is a network of organizations and volunteers cooperating to transform our underutilized public spaces into edible forests. Edible trails is a legacy project of creator Jonathan Aylward (1990 - 2022). Jonathan was inspired and inspired others with a vision of public food forests as meeting places, community hubs where people could kindle relationships both with one another, and with the plants whose histories and futures are interwoven with ours.