First Tree Planting of 2007!

On Saturday, June 16, 2007, Boy Scouts attending the District Boy Scout Camp at Obyan Beach helped plant 115 coconuts along the shores of Obyan Beach.

When people from cold places come to warm places like Saipan, they expect to see palm trees, especially on the beach. This planting will ensure that 10-20 years from now, Obyan Beach will continue to have coconuts. The boys who participated will be able to tell their kids that they helped plant some of the coconuts that they will undoubtably sit under sometime in the future.

The coconuts will also do their part to hold the sand and soil in place. This is a closeup of the roots of a fallen coconut tree:

Can you see the rocks being held by the roots even after the tree has fallen? While 115 trees will never be able to stop erosion on their own, they will do their part to hold some of the sand and soil in place.

CNMI Forestry is currently propagating native vegetation to be planted at Obyan Beach. Funding for the trees came from a US Fish & Wildlife Service grant obtained by Mariana Islands Nature Alliance. As soon as USDA NRCS comes up with a planting plan, the Beautify CNMI coalition will help coordinate a planting.