ContourLines.org Awards Bloodfire Orchards Tree Grant

Thomas Leonard of Contour Lines, a non-profit organization dedicated to reforesting and helping land owners harvest rain water while reducing erosion and building soil, awarded a tree grant to Bloodfire Orchards. Their program offers site planning expertise and free trees to those who will dig swales, fill with mulch and not use harmful chemicals.

“Within days of filling out the online application, I got a call from Thomas to learn more about my land, erosion issues and grade as well as my goals to create a perennial food forest,” said Heather Fritz, owner of Bloodfire Orchards. “He is so passionate about installing trees that provide food and reforesting, like at my sand pit in middle Georgia.”

We set up a date for him to visit my farm to offer water harvesting planning and engineering design.

He spent two days at my farm as we had an elderberry workshop we were going to attend online while he was here and we were fortunate enough to have a big rain that showed us how the rain water moves on the land.

We developed a plan to implement swales to help with erosion of our sandy and eroding 10 acres. He marked off on contour lines for me to dig. We are on the schedule for a late winter or early spring tree delivery.

Now I have to rent an excavator and learn how to use it, dig swales, fill with mulch and create a planting plan. This is going to be a fun and technically creative job.

Can’t wait to plant a polyculture perennial food forest! Thank you to Contour Lines!