Rainy season means it’s planting time for GROW

Increased rainfall and the full swing of the rainy season of Guam lead to an increase in planting activities at the Guam Restoration of Watershed (GROW) Ugum project site in Dan Dan, Inalahan. 

The Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps Season 3 team wrapped up their cohort and with the GROW team, helping to plant 300 seedlings, which was a bit of a change for the corps, who spent two weeks picking up so many branches in support of Typhoon Mawar recovery efforts.

The project site also hosted a group of young planters as the team welcomed members of the Sinajana Community Center Summer Camp, hosted by the Sinajana Mayor’s Office. 

Along with planting, teen volunteers got an up close look at the importance of ridge to reef efforts as they assisted with pruning trees in preparation for future planting events and site management. 

University of Guam students also partook in tree-planting and reforestation efforts as Professor Lofdahl and her students helped to put another one hundred trees in the ground on the watershed with the assistance of the Conservation Corps members. 

According to GROW Project lead Daniel Stone Jr., the rainy weather has been perfect for giving the newly planted seedlings some help in getting their roots deep into the red clay soil.

Protecting the reefs with pioneer and native species plantings on the ridges and watersheds is one of the goals of the GROW Initiative, which aims to reduce erosion and coral degradation by securing the soil with the new plantings.