Gravel bed nursery installed with interns in north Minneapolis

Hennepin County foresters helped youth interns from Emerge and Project Sweetie Pie build a gravel bed nursery at Pillsbury Urban Farm in north Minneapolis in late July. County foresters provided guidance for interns as well as gravel for the bed. Interns learned basic carpentry and became familiar with forestry career options.

Planting trees in areas with lower tree canopy cover to mitigate the heat island effect and improve air quality is an important part of our community forestry strategic plan. This effort contributes to Hennepin County’s goal, established in the county’s Climate Action Plan, of planting 1 million trees with the help of cities, partners, and residents by 2030.

Gravel bed nurseries allow trees to grow and develop a good root structure throughout the summer and are ready to be transplanted in the fall. The 20 trees growing in the gravel bed will be planted by Project Sweetie Pie and Tree Trust at private residences in north Minneapolis this fall.

The project was funded by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and was completed in partnership with Ajani Collective, City of Minneapolis, Emerge Minneapolis, Pillsbury United Communities, Project Sweetie Pie, Renewing the Countryside, and Tree Trust.