Niwot Homestead plants 1,600 trees in a single day

In an impressive display of community action, local non-profit High Plains Permaculture - Niwot Homestead mobilized 100 volunteers Sunday, May 4, to plant 1,600 trees at Wild View Farm at 7705 N. 95th Street, transforming a long-degraded landscape into what organizers hope will become a thriving agroforestry system.

The ambitious project aims to regenerate land that has remained largely barren for two decades after years of overgrazing. According to Amy Scanes-Wolfe, Program Manager with the organization, the initiative represents a significant expansion of Niwot Homestead's mission.

"We're essentially experimenting with how productive agriculture can regenerate really degraded land," said Scanes-Wolfe, who brings over a decade of experience in market farming, ecological landscaping, and horticultural education to the project.

The tree-planting effort represents a partnership with Drylands Agroecology Research, a non-profit specializing in water conservation techniques. Rather than relying on traditional irrigation systems, the project utilizes carefully engineered earthworks to capture water flowing downslope, allowing the newly planted trees to thrive naturally.

"These earthworks catch water from the sloped landscape so all the moisture sits in basins where the trees are planted," explained Scanes-Wolfe. "This technique allows us to start regenerating the property without extensive irrigation infrastructure."

The selected tree species serve multiple purposes aligned with Niwot Homestead's three-part mission of cultivating complete diets, mimicking natural ecosystems, and leveraging community power rather than commercial interests.

Some fast-growing varieties like hackberry and black locust were chosen to quickly establish habitat. Others, including honey locust, apples, and pears, will eventually provide forage for the cattle, goats, and chickens that are part of the farm's regenerative grazing program. A third category focuses on native fruits for human consumption.

"We're planting native currants, wild plums, and serviceberries," Scanes-Wolfe said. "These are fruits that many people are less familiar with eating, but we want to create an environment where people can experience what eating truly Coloradan food is like."

The $25,000 project was primarily funded through a grant from Zero Foodprint, an initiative where participating restaurants offer customers the option to add a contribution toward local food systems and carbon sequestration projects as part of a regenerative agricultural program.

Additional support came from the property owners, who contributed a significant portion of the cost, and a small portion came from Niwot Homestead's operating budget.

Unlike conventional farming operations that might focus solely on vegetables or a limited range of crops, Niwot Homestead manages over 76 different crops and eight species of livestock across its now two properties. Rather than selling its produce, the organization distributes food to the volunteers who tend the farms.

"In a complex living farm system, there's a limit to how big you can manage before you have to start simplifying," noted Scanes-Wolfe. "Our goal isn't to keep scaling the organization but to serve as an incubator, providing training for others who want to establish similar community-powered farming systems."

The organization's focus on community involvement was evident Sunday as all volunteer slots for the planting were filled well in advance of the event.

"These types of projects really do rely on community coming together," Scanes-Wolfe emphasized. "It's amazing how much we can actually accomplish with human power when people invest in the land."

While the trees planted Sunday are currently just one to two feet tall, they represent the foundation of a system designed to sequester carbon, create wildlife habitat, produce food, and restore ecosystem health for generations to come.