On a chilly November Saturday morning, Friends came out to plant 30 native trees and shrubs to create an Edible Trail of fruit and nut-bearing trees to provide food to help support, sustain and expand the biodiversity existing on the AFM property.
The lead agroforestry planner for the state, Francis Smith, who is with the Maryland Forest Service, within the Department of Natural Resources says “Edible Trails are a new concept for public land in Maryland, but it’s also a return to older ideas of human relationships with the environment and inspired by indigenous practices”.
Annapolis Friends can look forward to using our Edible Trail as a teaching tool to help us to learn more about these trees and nature. We also hope to study and learn about the cultures of the indigenous people who might have used these fruits and nuts, to understand more about how they lived, and how we might look to the inherited wisdom from their descendants who believe that all life is sacred, and by living more simply and sustainably, we will be in greater harmony with nature.
Many thanks to Friends: Angela, Cairn, Connie, Dan, Elaine, Grampy David, Kim, Marjorie, Phil, Ron, Steve, Stephen, and Sylvia, who responded to the request to assist Meetinghouse and Lands and the Green Group with this planting. Special thanks to Kim of MH&L for also getting materials organized on the day; and to her husband, Dan for the pre-digging of holes, along with Phil.
For many of us it was a full-on, hat-coat-scarf-and gloves-sort of day. It was also beautiful and we warmed up quickly in the sun.
Being native trees, these new residents should not require much maintenance in later years but they will need special care and attention in their first two years to be sure they have adequate water and to adjust their enclosures as needed. MH&L and the GG welcome Friends help in caring for these trees.
On the far left above are DNR personnel, Forest Health Specialist, Kari Wurth; Tree Planting Specialis, Abby Piegols; their DNR colleague Alfred “Freddy” Bascom, who provided instruction in planting technique. In the rear center is Phil C., AFM’s own master tree hole digger- and planter extraordinaire; also with us, were: Dylan Laconich from the City of Annapolis, City Manager’s Office, Environmental Programs Coordinator; Mollie Rudow, IPC Field Coordinator with friend, Ryan, on far right, who generously assisted. Mollie oversees the IPC, “Trees for Sacred Places” and was key in helping the Annapolis Friends acquire and plant these 30 plus native trees and shrubs. She connected us with the Department of Natural Resources whose staff provided us with the trees – guidance and planting assistance.
Midway through the design process it was mentioned by Kari and Abby, that we might consider a new idea introduced by the DNR Agroforestry program — an Edible Trail. This Green Group convener, pounced on that idea and with Meetinghouse & Lands, we asked for a redo of our design. Abby and Kari, reworked the design and plant selection to include a wonderful selection of fruit and nut-bearing trees and shrubs; and a crescent design that wraps around three sides of the meetinghouse, dramatically punctuated by a cluster of bald cypress by the streambeds below the meetinghouse.
The Meetinghouse and Lands Committee and the Green Group are grateful for the help in bringing these trees to us and for help in getting them planted – creating a Edible Trail, which we hope will serve the Meeting and our f/Friends, great and small, for years to come.