Each April for the past five years, a dedicated group of volunteers and professionals has taken the initiative to help beautify and restore a state park that they all hold close to their hearts. Devil’s Lake State Park near Baraboo, Wisconsin features stunning views of towering quartzite bluffs that overlook a 360-acre lake. Millions of visitors enjoy the trails and recreation areas every year, and tens of thousands of campers stay each summer.
Over the past decade disease, storms, and pests have taken a toll on the park’s tree canopy. Recreation areas and campgrounds have lost established trees and shade.
The answer to this problem has come from a collaborative group of volunteers. The Devil’s Lake Climbing Guides and Heartwood Tree Company have joined forces each year to organize and execute volunteer plantings during Earth Week.
The group received funding for recent plantings through their annual applications to Trees Forever and Alliant Energy’s Community Tree Planting Grant program. Trees Forever coordinates with the groups to plan effective planting projects and ensure the continued care for the trees. The goal of the grant is to bring the benefits of trees directly to people and communities. These planting bring beauty, shared green spaces, and energy-conserving shade to the park’s campground areas. With funding up to $5,000 each year, the volunteers have added hundreds of trees to Devil’s Lake State Park.
Heartwood Tree Company owner, Brent Valentine, shares Trees Forever’s vision of native plantings, saying, “The new trees will be native varieties which thrive in south-central Wisconsin forests. By planting a wide variety of native species, we decrease the likelihood any single disease could wipe out the canopy, and provide interesting and beautiful plants that humans, animals, and insects will enjoy.”
The annual event has become a fun and rewarding tradition. In 2024, the groups planted 96 trees in the popular Quartzite Campground area. Volunteers from the two groups, and additional helping hands from the community, also mulched and cared for previously planted trees following their planting. Park staff have also been crucial to the success of these projects, helping to identify area of need and ensure the maintenance of the trees moving forward.
Volunteers will be in action again this Arbor Day with another round of funding helping to fuel their annual tradition. “Tree planting is an easy decision, as an investment that pays dividends to many for decades to come,” says Nick Wilkes, Devils Lake Climbing Guides owner. “Folks may never know we planted these trees, but they will enjoy the beauty, the shade, and the oxygen they provide. This is a grassroots way we can give back to a park that continues to provide us and all visitors with respite, inspiration, and rejuvenation.”
Trees Forever works with thousands of volunteers annually. In 2024, planting projects like this were completed in 112 different communities across Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. If you would like to be a part of the action, visit: TreesForever.org/Fund