"Sugar Bush Kids" Invade Westminster College Forest
Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Eighteen "Sugar Bush Kids" from the Westminster College Preschool planted sugar maples at the Westminster College Field Station last weekend.
"The preschoolers were given a certificate that officially, absolutely, and positively certified them as Sugar Bush Kids,'" said Dr. Clarence Harms, director of the field station at Westminster College. "They could claim that certificate after planting two seedling sugar maples in the yard."
With the help of parents and members of the local Kiwanis Club and Garden Club, the preschoolers planted 38 trees.
"The children were shown how to carefully plant their seedlings with compost generated at the Field Station and commercial peat moss," Harms said. "Then they had to do a tree dance to share their love with the tiny, but future, producers of maple syrup."
The Sugar Bush Kids were told the history of sugaring in the country, a process that was learned by the colonists from the Native Americans who had been enjoying sugar trees for over 2,000 years.
"Sugar maples, called Acer saccharum, must grow in good soil and live to be at least 20 years of age before they can be tapped' for their precious sap that flows in late winter and early spring," Harms told the children.
"The children can come and regularly visit their own sugar trees," Harms said. "Then, they can return when the tree is at least 10 inches in diameter to see and taste the precious sugar sap."
Harms does not promise to be there for that tasting, but he assured the children that with their certificate, they are really Sugar Bush Kids and will be welcomed back to their trees any time.
In addition to the Westminster College preschoolers, 40 students and parents from the Lawrence County Head Start School planted trees in the Microforest earlier that week.
Each tree planted gets an identification number that is recorded with the name of the person who planted it and a GPS location, so it can be located in the future. The seedlings planted this year include: white oak, black oak, red maple, American chestnut, white ash, black gum, and hemlock.
This year Harms directed the planting of more than 100 trees.
"Since 1997, we've planted about 1,000 trees," Harms said. "The tree planting season here is officially over for this year."
Contact Harms at (724) 946-8520 or e-mail harmsc@westminster.edu for more information.
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