Volunteers from around Northern Kentucky are planting a forest on a long-forgotten fill site off I-275 in Fort Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cReforest NKY\u201d is an annual program by the Northern Kentucky Urban and Community Forestry Council that reforests areas of Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. They are responsible for planting thousands of seedlings around public, protected and previously mowed areas.<\/p>\n
This year, the council has joined forces with the Fort Thomas Forest Conservancy to plant 150 trees on a fill site owned by the conservancy. The fill site was created from the excavation done back in 1975 to create the highway, and was long considered \u201cworthless and a liability,\u201d according to Nan Genther, president of the conservancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we always kind of had in the back of our mind that we might be able to create something beautiful there,\u201d Genther said.<\/p>\n
Genther first approached the forestry council last year, during an Earth Day celebration. Since then, the two organizations have strategized how to best reforest the land.<\/p>\n
The forestry council was able to land a $5,000 grant from Duke Energy for the project. Forestry council president Liz Fet said the program relies on grants and partnerships to survive. Receiving the grant from Duke Energy was critical.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it’s just a bit of luck and everything comes together,\u201d Fet said.<\/p>\n
Genther said it didn\u2019t take much to prep the land for reforesting. In fact, the property started generating its own cedar trees \u2014 a sign that nature was reclaiming the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just wasn’t considered valuable or like it had much potential for this kind of growth,\u201d Genther said. \u201cBut cedar trees are an indicator that something good’s happening on the land.\u201d<\/p>\n
Genther said they are planting adaptable species familiar to the area: bur oak, butternut hickory and Kentucky coffee trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just chose trees that we thought would be able to survive there,\u201d Genther said.<\/p>\n
Genther and Fet both said they hope people see the value in the long-term health benefits to reforesting \u2014 and trees in general.<\/p>\n