Help plant trees at Northlake Nature Center: Mandeville Town Talk

On the mornings of Jan. 25 and Feb. 1 at 9 a.m., volunteers are needed to plant more than 1,000 longleaf pine seedlings in areas of the Northlake Nature Center damaged by pine beetles and hurricanes. The seedlings were purchased with individual donations and support from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Arrangements can be made for large groups to plant seedlings on other dates.

In the late 1700s longleaf pines covered more than 90 million acres of southeastern forest. Today, less than three million acres exist in the same area. Hundreds of plant and animal species are currently listed as threatened or endangered as a result of the decline in longleaf pine forests.

The Northlake Nature Center is a nonprofit organization that provides nature related educational programs for school groups, scouts and the general public.

The center also manages a 400 acre nature preserve east of Mandeville with more than seven miles of hiking and biking trails as well as a free canoe launch accessing Bayou Castine.