Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz celebrates Earth Day with native sapling outplanting at Andersen Air Force Base

Photo By Lance Cpl. Garrett Gillespie | Service members from Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz and the natural resource specialist team with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas pose for a photo during an outplanting event held at the Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) facilities on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, April 21, 2023. The saplings that were planted around the MWSS facilities were previously housed at one of the four plant nurseries on Camp Blaz. Totaling 18,000 square-feet, the plant nurseries are used to promote the growth of healthy plant material and propagated seeds until they are ready to be transplanted at various locations on Guam. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Garrett Gillespie)  

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GUAM

04.21.2023

Story by Gunnery Sgt. Rubin Tan 

Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz

Earth Day is celebrated April 22 and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz is gearing up to commemorate this special day in a meaningful way.

Throughout the week of April 17, base personnel prepared the landscaping at the Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) facilities on Andersen Air Force Base. This included assembling protective fencing and pre-digging planting sites in preparation of the outplanting of native saplings found on Guam. Volunteers with Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz assembled at the site on April 21, 2023, to conduct an outplanting project with more than 22 saplings.

Lead by the base’s environmental and natural resources department, the outplanting included native species such as the Ifit, known as the territorial tree of Guam, which was previously used for the construction of homes, handicrafts and furniture, and other plants and trees such as the Sumak, A’abang and Karanja.

“Outplanting projects like these small landscape level projects are super important because it helps people working on them understand the importance of getting the trees into our landscapes; even if it’s not in a setting like this, even home plantings, help them understand what are the native plants that we can use in our landscaping systems, and also the proper care requirements that these plants need," said Sheeka Tareyama, the natural resources specialist for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas at Camp Blaz. “A lot of times it easy to just plant and walk away, and not realize that plants are living things so they do need care and help to ensure they survive. So that’s one of the things that these planting projects help is build awareness of how we can plant, what we can plant, and how to properly take care of them.”


The saplings that were planted around the MWSS facilities were previously housed at one of the four plant nurseries on Camp Blaz. Totaling 18,000 square-feet, the plant nurseries are used to promote the growth of healthy plant material and seeds until they are ready to be transplanted at either of the two forest enhancement sites at the base or used for other projects on Guam.

The plant nursery on Camp Blaz is operated by HTR who works closely with Colorado State University and the University of Guam to understand the various pests, pathogens or other external factors that can affect a nursery. Programs such as the Guam Plant Extinction Prevention Program and the Center for Island Sustainability, also provide the nursery with surveys and planning for areas selected for forest enhancement projects.
As part of the base’s commitment to environmental stewardship and the promotion of Guam’s native habitat, Camp Blaz has been implementing various measures to minimize impacts to the island’s natural and cultural resources during the construction of the base.

This includes the successful enclosure and removal of invasive pig and deer from a 600-acre area, with plans to reach 1,000 acres of protected habitat once more areas are enclosed by fences currently under construction.

“We chose to volunteer for this and put together this out planting effort in honor of Earth Day, which signifies the start of the environmental movement,” said Jerome Perez, a biological security manager for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas at Camp Blaz. “We have outplanted native trees into the landscape as opposed to nonnative trees for many different reasons, but the most specific being to increase the establishment of the native species.”

To date, Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz has accomplished several conservation measures, including the transplantation of over 5,000 individuals of Tuberolabium Guamense orchids, the outplanting of more than 900 threatened Tabernaemontana Rotensis trees at the base’s forest enhancement site, installation of 11.2 miles of fencing for protected habitats, removal of more than 800 invasive deer and 140 feral pigs from 1,283 acres, and raising more than 30 species of limestone plants at the nurseries for rare, high value, or federally listed plants. Additionally, 72 Bulbophyllum Guamense orchids have been transplanted from construction sites into long-term conservation areas.

Outplanting events aid in the growth of the native habitat and increases the biodiversity and health of the island. By outplanting native trees at the MWSS facility on Andersen Air Force Base, Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz continues to prioritize environmental and cultural stewardship with the intent to protect Guam's unique natural and cultural resources.

• Date Taken: 04.21.2023
• Date Posted: 04.21.2023 04:14
• Story ID: 443058
• Location: ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GU