 "Photo:")
"(Chapman) left home at the age of 16," McPhail said. "During this time, there was a law in place that the government wound lease land to individuals as long as they improved it in some way. Quite the entrepreneur, Johnny would plant apple seeds on his land. He would move to areas before they were developed and sell the land later for a profit." Every Sept. 26, history buffs and apple lovers celebrate the birthday of Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman, one of the nation's first recognized environmentalists. Known for planting apple seeds as he traveled the nation wearing a metal pot on his head, John Chapman was a man who became a legend.
While the members of the Aggie tradition, Replant, may not wear metal pots on their heads, they keep Appleseed's dream alive.
"Replant is a one day event, occurring this year on October 22," said Laura Wagner, a junior mechanical engineering major and Replant director. "Approximately 1,200 to 1,400 volunteers spend the day planting trees around the Bryan-College Station area. We plant trees on public property, such as Bryan-College Station school districts or in developing parks. Our Tree Team coordinates where we are going to have our plant sites by consulting Bryan-College Station Parks and Recreation staff."
Started in 1991 in an attempt to replace trees cut for Bonfire, Replant has taken its Bonfire roots and grown into a self-sufficient organization.
"In addition to Replant Day, we have a year-long tree farm at the Riverside campus where we grow seedlings to be used for future Replant. We grow the seedlings for four years before we plant them. We like for them to be between six and eight feet tall before we actually put them in the ground."
Always on the hunt for eager volunteers, Wagner suggests that everyone interested apply to plant a tree at this year's Replant.
"I joined Replant my freshman year because I wanted to be involved in an environmental organization, but Replant is not just a group for tree huggers. Anyone interested in helping the community is welcome to volunteer," she said.
Junior rangeland and ecology management major Chance Robinson is a "greypot" in Student Bonfire. A group of students who join together in keeping the tradition of Bonfire alive, Student Bonfire is more than stacking logs. Student Bonfire serves as a means for landowners to clear their land of trees.
"The majority of Student Bonfire sites are areas where landowners are clearing the land in for agricultural purposes. We cut down anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 trees a year, which is a much smaller amount compared to the 8,000 log stacks of on-campus Bonfire. The larger stack needed something like Replant in order to compensate for cut."
Originally occurring in the spring in an effort to not interfere with Bonfire in the fall, Replant recently moved to October in order to give the trees longer time to settle into the ground before the hot Texas summer sets in each year.
"Replant used to be a larger event," Wagner said. "We used smaller seeds donated by the Texas Forest Service, but their survival rate was slim. Now we grow our own trees on campus, limiting our size to about 300 plants a year, and plant the trees in the fall, giving the trees more time to develop roots."
Traveling the Midwest dressed as Appleseed, McPhail spends his weekends visiting schools, fairs, festivals and war reenactments - the whole time in character.
"Johnny was a pacifist at heart and a vegetarian, who at times felt it cruel to ride a horse," McPhail said. "He has been made into a legend by people like Walt Disney, but John Chapman was a real man who respected the people around him. He was a strong advocate for planting and giving back to the land. I've always identified with Johnny. He reminds me of the verse: 'Any man can count the seeds in an apple but only God can know the number of apples in a seed.'"
