Brewery gives away 1,000 white pine seedlings
May 06, 2018 07:57AM ● By Editor
Typically, customers are lining up at the Castle Danger Brewery taproom in Two Harbors for a hoppy beverage, but last weekend, patrons were at the counter for a different reason.
Castle Danger gave away 1,000 white pine seedlings throughout the weekend as the culmination of its White Pine Project IPA. A portion of proceeds from the winter seasonal IPA, sold in cans, kegs, growlers and pints, went to the purchase of white pine seedlings in an effort to restore the tree’s population on the North Shore.
Castle Danger’s White Pine Project is the “brainchild” of brewery co-owner Clint MacFarlane. He grew up on the North Shore and he has always had a special relationship with the forests near Lake Superior, according to marketing and events coordinator Maddy Stewart. White pines have become increasingly rare in the area because of logging and other activity. Their hope is to restore the population by reseeding the trees and providing the care they need to reach maturity.
The foundation Rajala Woods — Minnesota Power’s forest management initiative to increase the percentage of longer-lived conifer tree species in central and northeastern Minnesota — matched Castle Danger’s donation of 1,000 trees, which were given to North Shore landowners and also planted on land near Silver Bay that Minnesota Power donated to Rajala.
Castle Danger’s volunteer program, “Team Danger,” will be planting some more mature white pine trees this summer around Burlington Bay in Two Harbors.
