A healthier Idler’s Rest, one tree at a time

At Idler’s Rest Nature Preserve in Moscow, the springtime is about replenishment.

The Palouse Land Trust is working with volunteers to plant more than 1,000 trees this month to restore the forest canopy and boost the health of the 37-acre forest.

“Increasing tree diversity there will increase the resiliency of the forest and also increase habitat, increase biodiversity,” said Marcel Robicheaux, an AmeriCorps member who works with the Palouse Land Trust.

Robicheaux planned to be joined by volunteers Tuesday as he set out to plant new pine and larch trees at the preserve. When the volunteers could not make it, he instead loaded up the seedlings and set out to plant 90 trees himself, packing the ground around each seedling to create a depression in the soil that will capture moisture.

This Saturday, the Palouse Land Trust is inviting volunteers out to Idler’s Rest with the goal of helping Robicheaux plant 1,100 trees.

Robicheaux said Idler’s Rest belongs to the community and these volunteer events are meant to strengthen that bond between the people and the preserve.

“We hope to foster greater connection between members of the community and the natural world,” he said. “Folks love Idlers Rest Nature Preserve. A lot of people come here, and when we can create these kinds of opportunities to get people involved in the stewardship of this place, then it really becomes for them even more.”

Robicheaux and Palouse Land Trust Executive Director Lovina Englund do not know exactly why portions of the tree canopy have disappeared, but they said the preserve has been affected by the fungus blister rust and beetles. Increasing the diversity of trees will make the forest more resilient. Plus, Englund said the seedlings Robicheaux planted Tuesday were developed with a tolerance for blister rust.

While tree planting is an important part of the forest’s health, the Palouse Land Trust also thins the trees when needed.

Englund said volunteers from neighboring high schools worked with the Clearwater Basin Collaborative and Idaho Firewise to thin sections of the property last year. She said this work took place not long before an August fire started on the nearby Idler’s Rest Road, scorching 116 acres.

While that fire did not damage Idler’s Rest Nature Preserve, Englund said wildfires are a function of nature.

“It’s not a matter of if fire happens — it’s when it happens,” she said. “As our jobs as stewards on behalf of the community is to really make sure we’re managing forest health, which is the essence of what this project is that (Robicheaux’s) working on.”

For more information about Idler’s Rest and volunteer opportunities, visit palouselandtrust.org.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.