The project aims to plant 1,200 saplings and hundreds of grass clamps in the area.
Aric Bickel of DEQ told the Variety that the student interns hiked to the Laolao uplands on Thursday last week to continue with the restoration work started in 2005.
Intern program director Brooke Nevitt in a statement said Thursday’s activity “was a great way for our coral reef interns to see how the things we do on land impact our coral reefs and marine ecosystems.”
The focus of CRM and DEQ projects are to safeguard and restore the quality of coastal waters and marine ecosystems.
Laolao field coordinator Nick Swaim said that the case of the Laolao revegetation project, they are working to reduce sediment that runs from the treeless areas of the Laolao uplands to the coral reefs in Laolao Bay.
The project aimz to speed up the natural transition of the often-burned Laolao uplands back to native forest and reduce the erosion that leads to impaired water quality by planning grasses and trees.
CRM intern Erik Basa said before the planting, he didn’t know much about the role that trees play in stabilizing soils and protecting the reef.
“Being at the site and actively participating has helped me understand this process,” Basa said.
Swain said the Department of Lands and Natural Resources/Division of Forestry staff have been working since 2009 planting to propagate and prepare nearly 1200 tree saplings for the Laolao uplands.
The process involves having the Division of Forestry staff canvassing the island for cuttings and seeds of the targeted native species, preparing soil mixtures similar to the plant’s natural habitat, then watering and caring for the trees for months before finally transporting them to the Laolao site.
Bickel said the summer interns got the chance to have a one-on-one talk with Forestry employee Jason Tenorio about the tree species selected for the project, the propagation process and sapling health.
He said the 86 Pago, Nanasu, and Nonak trees planted by interns and their mentors mark the beginning of an effort to transplant all 1,200 saplings and hundreds of clumps of Bahia and vetiver grass to the Laolao uplands.
The interns were given ideas regarding the techniques used in soil conservation by staff members of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, proper tree planting methods by James Eller, Jay Doronila and Pamela Aguon, and demonstrations about planting techniques by DNLR Forester Victor Deleon Guerrero,
Bickel saidt the DLNR and NRCS will continue to take an active role in the project as a professional landscaping crew begins work today.
