Tree Nursery Aims to Aid Bastrop

The Green Fee greenhouse (above), located in the Lady Bird
Johnson Wildflower Center, contains many plants and seeds
intended to replenish the land destroyed in the Bastrop fires.

Last year’s Bastrop County Fire demolished over 30,000 acres of land and approximately 1,700 homes, but it did not extinguish one person’s determination to restore its plant life.  

 Vlad Codrea, a UT molecular biology graduate student, spends every Saturday at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, continuing a project he developed out of one simple idea nearly 19 months ago.

Vlad Codrea (above) , the UT graduate student behind the
student-run  nursery and Bastrop project, checks the
status of  the planted seeds.

“It was my idea back in March of 2011 to have a tree nursery at UT, and with the help of the Gardening Committee at the Campus Environmental Center, I got in contact with the land managers at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus,” Codrea said. “They were very open to the idea of having the tree nursery there and we actually went around and selected the site to set it up.”

Codrea applied for financial support of his proposal following the approval of the nursery’s site.

“I submitted the application [for the Green Fee Grant] during the first cycle of applications and in April I found out it was accepted,” he said.  “We had $54,000 over three years to start a tree nursery, and with that money I ordered the greenhouse and the containers, the soil, the seeds, and so on.”

The Bastrop wildfires of September prompted the nursery to move to the Wildflower Center, and a partnership between Codrea and the center formed shortly after. Together they plan to allocate around 100,000 seedlings for the people of Bastrop Country.

While several volunteers (above) planted seeds in the Green Fee greenhouse,
others dug up soil not too far away (not pictured). 

Morgan Faulkner (above), an environmental
science freshman, compacts the soil
within the containers before planting
 the seeds.

A year after receiving the grant, Codrea’s project continues. Last Saturday, October 6th, 16 volunteers assisted Codrea in planting seeds in containers and shoveling soil at the Green Fee greenhouse in the Wildflower Center.  

“I have a portfolio project in my UGS class where I have to do things like this, but I would [volunteer] anyways, because I do a lot of work with trees at home, and to work outdoors is really nice,” Morgan Faulkner, environmental science freshman, said.

Like Faulkner, many individuals also helped out for the love of the outdoors.

Hannah Schmid (above), chemical engineering
junior and OXE candidate, scoops up soil.

 “When I stayed in Indonesia, I was in an organization that [did activities like this], so I love to do this. That’s why I wanted to join this [project],” Afriannoor Miradinata, curriculum and instruction graduate student, said. “[Planting trees] is not only our civil right, but it benefits all of us.”

The chemical engineering fraternity Omega Chi Epsilon, or OXE, scheduled their monthly community service project at the Wildflower Center. 

Mark Tomosovic (left) and Kevin Smith (right), both
chemical engineering sophomores and OXE candidates,
disperse soil into each of the small containers.

“I had come earlier this year because I knew Vlad from the Campus Environmental Center, so I thought it would be fun to bring everyone,” Tania de Souza, chemical engineering junior and OXE social chair, said.


UT students weren’t the only people engaging at the Green Fee greenhouse on Saturday.

Simran Frontain (above), a high school
sophomore, carefully plants the seeds.

“I wanted to partake in more community service. Plus, my mom and I love plants,” Simran Frontain, sophomore at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, said.

With Saturday workdays scheduled for the next two years, as well as the efforts of new and returning volunteers, Codrea remains optimistic that the program for Bastrop County will endure.

“As far as I can see, this project is going to keep on going,” he said. “And when we run out of funding in two years, [the Wildflower Center and I] are going to hopefully continue what we’re currently doing.”

 Story and photos by Olivia Suarez