AdminMARTINSBURG – A boy from Berkeley Springs, colloquially known as “The boy who plants trees,” planted around 500 at his home on Saturday, with the hope of improving the environment for his community.
Fifteen-year-old Jacob Villenueve, a boy with autism from Berkeley Springs set out last year with the goal of planting 1,000 trees, planting 200 last summer. He started the project after construction started for the US-522 bypass, when he saw the sheer number of trees cut down for the almost $70 million road.
According to an estimate by The Cacapon Institute before the bypass was started, over 100 acres of forest needed to be cut down for its construction.
In an effort to make the project even more sustainable, Villenueve is specifically planting trees that are native to the area, including various oaks and maples. In a twist of irony, Villenueve is also using mulch that was donated to him for the project made from the trees cut to build the bypass to help the new trees grow.
He funded the project with the help of a GoFundMe page, which raised $675 towards the project. Originally, only 100 trees were ordered for the project, but when the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District heard more about the project, they sent much more.
Villenueve says his ultimate goal is to reforest the whole property, totaling 17 acres, which he estimates would mean a total of 100,000 trees. He says that throughout his life, he hopes to plant over two million.
“I’m definitely going to need to get a whole lot more help later on,” Villenueve said.
On Saturday, he was joined by between 20 and 30 volunteers, mostly consisting of local Scouts from Berkeley Springs and Charles Town. One group, Troop 42 from Charles Town, joined in on the project after leaders heard about it from the West Virginia Department of Agricultural Extension Office in Martinsburg.
“Some of the older scouts are working on conservation right now, so it’s a great opportunity for them to learn about it,” said Margaret Badger, Troop 42’s assistant Scoutmaster. “Some of the younger scouts learning about service hours, and that’s what we’re trying to instill in them.”
Villenueve’s mother, Pamela Villenueva, says the help she and Jacob have received from the community has been a blessing, especially getting the project done days before an upcoming surgery.
“There are no words to express the appreciation and the love that has come together on doing this project,” she said. “It’s just overwhelming to me that he’s getting all of his trees in.”
“We’re going to be able to just relax through the summer, get him through surgery, all of that and he’s going to feel good about the project,” Villeneuve said, “that he did make a difference this summer.”
Admin
