Albert Harris and Patrick Henry elementary school students planted trees at Fairy Stone State Park as part of the Streamside Trees in the Classroom (STIC) Planting Day in October.
Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) Executive Manager Krista Hodges said STIC, which started in 2012, is aimed at fourth grade students.
It is a partnership between DRBA, Fairy Stone State Park, Philpott Lake Army Corps of Engineers
“The trees that they are planting today are the black willows, they’re native black willows, so they’re planted along the rivers and streams. We plant them along the streams to help establish a riparian buffer, or streamside vegetation,” she said.
The riparian buffers help to reduce erosion, control flooding issues, and help keep pollution from getting into the rivers and streams, Hodges said.
“That’s one of our goals with the program is to replant these riparian buffers, but also to get the students out here to experience this hands-on learning opportunity. We’ve got different partners here today that are doing programs that are based on erosion, natural resources, we’ve talking about trout, we’re talking about water safety here as well, so a lot of these partners come in and they provide activities and things for the students to participate in while they’re planting their trees,” she said.
