Skip To Main Content

Johnson Nature Center Hosts ReLeaf Tree Planting Program

Johnson Nature Center Hosts ReLeaf Tree Planting Program

On a sunny Saturday morning, volunteers of all ages and from many communities came together at the Johnson Nature Center to plant 25 sugar maple saplings. This initiative was supported by ReLeaf Michigan, a nonprofit tree organization, in collaboration with the Johnson Nature Center, Friends of the Johnson Nature Center, Bloomfield Hills Schools, and the DTE Energy Foundation. While some volunteers were Bloomfield Hills Schools community members, others were Cub Scouts from Troy Schools, and community groups like the Birmingham Bloomfield Newcomers Club, a nonprofit group of women from all over the world who live in our area. 

The Johnson Nature Center operations team prepared the sugarbush with 25 holes for the sugar maple saplings, and the morning began with a tree-planting demonstration by ReLeaf Michigan, an organization that provides forestry expertise. The DTE Energy Foundation provided the 25 saplings. Volunteers divided into groups to plant the sugar maple trees. 

This initiative is part of a program to reestablish and expand the sugar bush at Johnson Nature Center. It will be approximately 40 years before these 6-year-old saplings can be tapped for sap. The Johnson Nature Center’s original sugarbush, which the Olsen family planted in the 1940s, remains a living testament to their dedication to the land. Richard and Carol Olsen carefully established these maple trees, creating a legacy that has served as both an educational and cultural cornerstone of the Nature Center for generations. However, after decades of growth, the original sugar maples are now reaching the end of their natural life cycle. To honor the Olsens' vision and ensure the continuation of the sugarbush, a new succession of maple trees is needed. This replanting effort will not only preserve the heritage of the sugarbush but also sustain the annual maple sugaring tradition, connecting future generations with the land’s rich history and the enduring legacy of the Olsens’ work.

In order to prepare the sugarbush for the new plantings, the Johnson Nature Center received a grant to remove black locust trees which were in that section of the forest. The cut wood from the locusts can now be burned in the Sugar Shack in the syrup-making process. Sugar maples are tapped each year in February and March, including during Bloomfield Hills Schools field experiences to the Johnson Nature Center to educate students about the syrup-making process. Michigan is one of the top five states in the U.S. that produces maple syrup.

After about two hours of demonstrations and tree-planting, volunteers had the opportunity to join Cass Arsenault, JNC Lead Interpretative Naturalist, in a stroll along the nature center trails. Many thanks to all of the volunteers for spending a few hours, to make a difference that will last for generations!

To learn more about how you can help plant trees and help the environment, check out these resources: