Students from two Cochrane Schools spent time planting trees in partnership with Cochrane Environmental Action Committee (CEAC).

The tree planting initiative raises environmental awareness through hands on learning.

It was the second year for Manachaban Middle School and 5th year for Glenbow Elementary School. Tim Giese, President of CEAC, shares roughly 400 enthusiastic students helped plant and wrap between 125-130 trees between the two schools.

"I know when I was with the Glenbow, the kids were buzzed; even Manachaban, the students once they got into it they had a great time."

Giese says they tried a new technique based on a phrase from Bow Point Nursery, we were going to make a $10 hole for a $5 tree.

"The idea was to work on big holes so the trees had a really good chance to establish themselves. Because in all those areas they have to out compete the grass, it chokes out trees. It grows really tall and quickly blocks out any sunlight for the trees."

Glenbow students planted by Camden Park right along the creek, while Manachaban students planted along the Big Hills Spring Creek to help restore the area affected by beavers.

Giese says while both spots may be watered by the town, in the past, the planted trees need to self establish themselves.

"That is one of the reasons we buy our stock from somewhere like Bow Point Nursery, these are native trees that are used to drought, chinooks, they are used to extremes in weathers- by planting now and the rain we got and good watering hope they will get established."

Giese will be back out planting again September 17 for CEAC's Branches and Banks event. The annual event normally held in May was pushed back to September while Giese waits for confirmation of grants and logistics to be worked out by the Town.

"In the end to try to pull it off by late May is just not going to work, if we go to September when it is still a reasonable time to plant trees, they still have a chance to get rooted, it was probably a better case to do that."

Giese is hoping Branches and Banks will be planting more trees this year and is looking for volunteers to help out.

To volunteer for this year's Branches and Banks you can contact Giese here.