2016 Mason Tract News

Plantings and caring of existing cedars continued within the Mason Tract. On June 4, 2016, Chris Reister of the Paul H. Young Chapter, headed a work project to maintain their planting in the Daisy Bend area including the installation of 5 larger enclosures to protect growing cedars and an additional 7 larger enclosures at Downey’s Stairs. At Daisy Bend, the first of the planted cedar seedlings had its enclosure completely removed. This cedar was planted in 2014 by the Paul Young Chapter TU. This is part of the on-going Mason Tract Northern White-cedar Reforestation Project which planted and protected 700 cedar seedlings within the Mason Tract.

On September 10, 2016 – during the Anglers of the Au Sable River Clean-up, eighteen volunteers worked two sites within the Mason Tract maintaining cedar enclosures and installing larger fencing. The site on the south side of the south branch at Chase Bridge was maintained, while Anglers of the Au Sable’s Lower Highbanks Stairs area had a total of 35 larger enclosures installed.

This initiative is part of the “Cedars for the Au Sable” project which is administrated by the Au Sable River Property Owners Association. Additional partners in this project include Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Forest management Unit and Huron Pines RC&D.