Public Invited to Plant Oak Trees in Napa Valley

Re-Oaking the Valley brings oak trees back to Napa County to restore ecological diversity

People are invited to plant oak trees, re-introducing native and ecologically important plant species, in Napa Valley at three upcoming events. People can participate in one or all three events. These tree-planting events are an effort by the Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA) and the Napa County Resource Conservation District (Napa RCD) to mitigate the loss of oak trees along the Vine Trail alignment from St Helena to Calistoga.

Participants will receive supplies and instruction on how and where to plant.

These events are open to all ages. Children under 12 need to be with an adult, and all minors will need a waiver signed by an adult.

Oaks are a big part of Napa’s heritage and identity; they are a “keystone species,” meaning when trees are present, they have an ecological ripple effect that positively benefits many other native plants and wildlife. They provide significant ecosystem services like erosion protection through canopies and roots, soil building through shed leaves, food for wildlife through the acorns, and cumulative carbon sequestration in stems and roots. Over the past 200 years, however, the majority of oaks in Napa County have been removed for development of homes, vineyards, and other infrastructure. Re-oaking the Valley is a priority of Napa RCD.

Acorns for this planting were gathered exclusively from Napa Valley native oak trees.

WHO: Anyone who would like to plant trees along with: Napa Valley Transportation Authority
Napa County Resource Conservation District

WHAT: Planting native oak acorns

WHERE/WHEN: Saturday, December 17 at 10am-12:30pm

Alston Park (parking lot across from Wine Country Ave.)

Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Jr Day) at 10am-12:30pm, two locations:
Skyline Wilderness Park (2201 Imola Ave., Napa)
St. Helena Community Forest (30 Zinfandel Ln.)

COST: Free

BRING: Filled water bottle for yourself and a hat for sun protection

FOR MORE INFO: www.NapaRCD.org/calendar