Our warming climate is driving changes in the composition of Maine's boreal forests, and it has brought blights/pests that are killing species such as brown ash and beech. The loss of beechnuts will create a huge void of food for wildlife, while the emerald ash borer will decrease the availability of a crucial cultural and economic material for Wabanaki basket makers. The White Oak Project is a collaborative effort to mitigate these imbalances by helping to establish some white oak, black walnut, butternut, and shagbark hickory to parts of the state where they can now thrive--by starting trees from seed and nurturing them until they are ready to go out on their own. These long lived species produce huge amounts of food for up to 200 years; thus the project offers an opportunity for students to do something that will help foster resilience and abundance for generations into the future.
