OLMC tree replacement 2016

Boy Scout Troop 125

Scouts in Boy Scout Troop 125 noticed that many Indiana Ash trees in the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church public areas had been destroyed by the invasive insect pest, the emerald ash borer. These large trees had provided habitats for many different animals while helping purify the air. The Scouts replaced ten of the removed Ash trees with a variety of healthy, drought tolerant and disease resistant shade trees native to Indiana.

Volunteers, made up of members of Boy Scout Troop 125 and their families, met at the church on a Saturday to plant the trees in locations that had been carefully planned out and approved by the church.

He found a solution to the problem by planning out a project and enlisting his Boy Scout troop to help plant different species of trees around the church campus that would not be susceptible to emerald ash borers. 

Ten total trees were planted around the church grounds, and will provide shade for parishioners, residents of nearby neighborhoods, teachers and students at the school at OLMC, and others that use the campus. 

The leader of the project,  working on his Boy Scout Eagle award had the idea for his project when he noticed that many of the ash trees around the church had been killed by emerald ash borers. The emerald ash borer is a type of beetle that feeds on ash trees and is an invasive species in North America. You can find out more information on the pest here. 

Many volunteers helped carry out the project, including families of the troop members, who did things like helping serve the boys lunch on the day of the tree planting.

The project leader also taught the volunteers about the environmental impact of the project they were doing, in the hope that it would help instill a better respect for nature.

These ten trees will contribute to a better and cleaner environment. Elm, Maple, Honeylocust, Oak and London Plane trees now line a major avenue for cars and will help reduce pollutants. Additionally, the variety of species the troop planted will help to increase biodiversity in the area.