« We got lucky with the weather, », said Eric Collard, executive director of the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail Association (PRRTA). « It was nice to see people from all the different communities come out and help plant trees. »

The recreational trail group, with partnership support from Boisés Est and EcoEast, organized a treeplanting party at the Alfred Station location along the PR Trail on May 6. Desjardins Group provided financial aid towards purchase of the trees and seedlings for planting and Boisés Est and EcoEast both provided expertise on the types of trees suitable for growing along the trail and the proper way to plant them.

A group of 15 volunteers spent the early afternoon planting 150 seedlings and ready-to-plant tree saplings at the station site and along the trail up to a distance of about 300 feet east of the station. The final seedling went into the ground around 2 p.m.

The weekend treeplanting at Alfred Station is the first of several treeplanting projects the PRRTA has plans for during this year and next year. Collard noted that one reason for the treeplanting work is to replace damaged or fallen trees along the trail as a result of last year’s extreme windstorm in May and the early April ice storm this year.

« It’s important to show that we (PRRTA) are very serious about maintaining the trail, » said Collard. « We hope to have more treeplanting events in the future. »

The PRRTA’s future plans for the trail include increasing the amount of natural shade along the route for the benefit of hikers and cyclists, and increasing the tree cover for the Prescott-Russell region. The group also plans to build a pavilion at the Alfred Station site similar to those already on site at trail locations near Vankleek Hill in Champlain Township and Plantagenet in Alfred-Plantagenet Township.