Arbor Day Tree Planting Anticipates Shady Summer Afternoons At Deep Brook

By Dottie Evans

In 20 years, we will all — including the trout — notice the difference.

With a leap of imagination not unlike the flashing strike of a hungry trout rising to take the lure, the Reed Intermediate School sixth graders who helped plant trees for Arbor Day knew what they were doing and why they were doing it.

They understood that a seedling spruce tree just two feet tall, pot included, would eventually grow big enough to shade a stream and preserve a pristine Class A trout habitat.

And why is shading this particular stream so important?

“Because if the sun warms it up, the water will be too hot for the trout,” said Katie Peters.

“It might take 20 years. I’ll have to come back and see my tree when it’s grown,” Nicole DeFelice decided.

On a sunny Tuesday, nearly 100 students came in two waves to work together with members of the Lions, Trout Unlimited, Town and Country Garden Club, and Al’s Trail volunteers. Reed School teachers Michelle Vaccaro and Maura Drabik brought their cluster at 9:30 am, and teachers Barbara Mancher and Sara Strait accompanied their students at noon.

Both groups split into work crews to dig holes and set in the trees along the Deep Brook greenway that traverses Fairfield Hills. An access road used by the town will eventually be moved further away from the stream.

The trees included spruce, buttonbush, sugar maple, swamp white oak, viburnam, and spice bush linden. Valued at $4,000, they were donated by the Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU), The Newtown Tree Project, and the Al’s Trail Committee.

On Monday, volunteers from these conservation-minded groups worked in advance of the schoolchildren, planting 43 large trees and setting out markers to show students where their seedlings should go.

Fleet Environmental in Newtown played a vital role in donating time and machinery Monday afternoon, as several employees helped dig holes and transport the heavier trees delivered in 15-gallon pots to their planting sites.

“We wanted to finish what was begun last year. This spring, we planted where the old Fairfield Hills sewage treatment plant used to be,” said James Belden.

Mr Belden is a local spokesman for Trout Unlimited, a nationally known conservation group. Its Candlewood Valley chapter had obtained a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Embrace-A-Stream grant in March 2005 to enhance and restore the Deep Brook native trout habitat.

Before the students began planting, they were led upstream to the site of the December 2004 heating oil spill. Mr Belden explained how oil pollution threatened the hatchling trout, and how important it was to prevent future spills, and to keep the water clean, clear, and cold.

Peering over the bank, they saw the yellow rubber dam that had trapped the oil. It still floated as a hedge against further spills. Full to overflowing from the weekend’s heavy rains, Deep Brook roared through the gorge.

“At least, this year we don’t have to drag those gallon pails down to the brook to water our trees,” remarked Pat Barkman, who remembered last year’s planting project when everything was so dry.

Lions Club volunteer Fred Stakel urged the students in his work crew to name their trees.

“So you’ll remember them when you come back someday,” he said.

Zack Stone decided to name his spruce Jocko after his cousin’s dog.

“I’m glad my mom taught be how to plant something,” he added as an afterthought.

On Arbor Day 2026, Zack will have to come back and see how big Jocko has grown.