The goal: Plant 25,000 trees this spring in the San Bernardino National Forest devastated by the 2003 and 2007 wildfires that burned 185,000 acres (it’ll take 3,500 of us to do it).

The purpose: Replanting trees means the forest can function again in its work of “producing oxygen, filtering pollutants from the air, replenishing groundwater supplies by helping the land absorb and filter rainwater, reducing the negative effects of global warming [and] providing a habitat for wildlife.” 1.5 million trees are needed to go back in the ground and over 20,000 were planted with the help of volunteers last year.

The plan: Join up with Forest Aid, a project of the Forest Service, the San Bernardino National Forest Association and TreePeople.

The details: From now until partway through May, mountain restoration plantings are happening every weekend. Check the calendar and sign up to get planting on your own or with a whole gang!

I can attest to the powerful experience of a planting with TreePeople (a place I once worked). After each tree goes in the ground, volunteers name the tree, join hands and welcome it with this chant:Trees need people and people need trees. It’s an affirmation of the positive effect planting even one tree has, for planter and plantee.

Visit Forest Aid at www.forestaid.net or TreePeople at www.treepeople.org for more information on being part of the reforestation effort.