It’s planting day in Belmont! Today, more than 200 volunteers will gather at Belmont High School to plant 1,140 native trees and shrubs, transforming the school grounds into a 3,000-square-foot mini-forest.
Beyond ecology, the effort to bring this forest to life has become a bridge for community healing, youth engagement, and redefining schooling through ecology. One young Girl Scout, living in an apartment with no yard, has nursed a sapling all year to plant it in the forest today.
The miniforest’s journey taps into a richer vein of what these forests can mean as instruments of care and learning and their power to bring communities together at a time when many are being pushed and pulled apart.
We look forward to sharing more stories and photos as things get underway!
Posted: October 17, 2025