Tree planting brings fresh look to charred earth from 2021’s Greenwood Fire
The Greenwood Fire burned nearly 27,000 acres in northeastern Minnesota following a summer of heat, drought and smoky skies.
The fire started in mid-August and led, in part, to the complete closure of the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2021.
The fire destroyed more than a dozen buildings and led to the evacuation of hundreds of homes near Isabella and Highway 1 in Lake County.
WTIP reported extensively on the wildfire while it was burning in August and September 2021. Since that time, we’ve shared reports about the fire and its aftermath, including a visit to the burn area during the winter months.
This May, a replanting of trees in the Greenwood Fire burn area took place. Approximately 129,000 trees were planted from mid-May to the start of Memorial Day weekend. The trees planted include a mix of red and white pine, tamarack, white spruce and black spruce. The tree planting effort was organized and supported by officials from The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Forest Service, Lake County and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Jim Manolis, The Nature Conservancy’s resilient forests director in Minnesota, about the replanting effort. Audio below.
All photos by Derek Montgomery.
Joe Friedrichs May 28, 2022
