Angela Callaghan (left) and Carson Ouellette teamed up to plant an Alderman Plum tree.

Joyce Eisenbraun 

A beautiful spring day was the setting for Moorhead’s Arbor Day event on May 13, but this year featured a special project that was the brainchild of a work group from the Moorhead Community Resilience Task Force. The project involved over 75 volunteers and collaborative efforts from the City Public Works Forestry Department and River Keepers to create a new “edible forest” in the MB Johnson Park.

“It’s a big step for Moorhead,” said Trent Wise, City forester. “We planted 100 fruit trees and 40 fruit- bearing shrubs. They’re all varieties that have been proven to be good growers and hardy for our cold weather.” The 70 apple trees, 15 pear and 15 plum trees were selected to provide a variety of maturity dates, with the earliest starting in about four-five years. The shrubs included 15 honeyberry, 15 juneberry or service berry, and 10 Aronia berry, which Wise said are all popular varieties for people to pick. Once the trees and shrubs get large enough to bear fruit, the community will be invited to pick the fruit for free.

The Moorhead Community Resilience Task Force is funded by a generous Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant. The goal of the grant is to help Moorhead create a community that is able to anticipate, adapt, and flourish in a changing world.

There are five working groups within the Task Force, and this project was developed by the Ecosystem Work Group, whose members include Allison Wallace, Andrea Crabtree Nayes, Christine Holland, Gabrielle Lommel, Emily Lutgen, Crystal Rayamajhi, Jennifer Sweatman, and Trent Wise. The group identified this project as a means to meet project goals for biodiversity, land use and management, and river quality and quantity. In addition to the benefits of providing a free food source in the community, there are several environmental benefits including providing food for pollinator species in the area. In Mayor Shelly Carlson’s Arbor Day proclamation, she noted the many environmental benefits and encouraged all Moorhead citizens “to plant trees to gladden the hearts and promote the wellbeing of present and future generations.”

Thanks to the collaboration between the City and River Keepers, there was great interest by a host of individuals and business groups across the community, who signed up to volunteer. From digging large holes for the new trees to mulching, watering and fencing, the volunteers worked throughout the day to plant the trees and shrubs, transforming a grassy field to a producing orchard. By the end of the day, Moorhead had a new orchard that in years to come will provide fresh fruits and berries for people in the community.