Hundreds of Aggies are once again heading to Bastrop State Park to help replenish trees lost during the devastating 2011 wildfire season—which destroyed an estimated 96 percent of the park. Approximately 550 Texas A&M University students, who are part of Aggie Replant, will converge at the state park for a third year, with the goal of planting 15,000 Bastrop Loblolly Pines.
“It is very exciting for us to partner in this recovery effort in Bastrop. It’s an amazing feeling to know that our actions are making an impact that will continue to have lasting effects in the forest for generations to come,” Aggie Replant Director Olivia Olvera said. “We are leaving a positive legacy there, and that is what Aggie Replant is all about.”
Aggie Replant, a student-led organization, strives to improve communities, bring students together through tradition and provide an avenue for environmental service in action.
“Texas A&M students are excited to plant thousands of loblolly pine tree saplings,” Olvera said. “They know that they can look back on this experience in 20 to 50 years with their children and grandchildren and say that they were a part of this incredible regrowth campaign.”
The students will partner with Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Arbor Day Foundation as part of a larger effort, the Bastrop Lost Pines Recovery Campaign—a group of local, state and federal agencies led by Bastrop County.
From the Texas A&M Forest Service: https://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/default.aspx?dept=news