SAINT JOHN’S ABBEY CELEBRATES the incredibly biodiverse and increasingly rare native plant communities found here. The area has been identified as “ecologically significant” by the Nature Conservancy’s Eco-Regional Plan and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources County Biological Survey. Our goal for this fund is to continue to promote a healthy and resilient forest that has a wide diversity of species and a wide range of tree ages. Our (and the region’s) greatest forest weakness is a lack of young oak forests. One of our forest goals to address this deficiency is to regenerate at least 5 acres of oak forest every year. This fund will help us with the costs associated with regenerating and adding species diversity to a stand of forest. Costs may include items like tree seedlings, vispore mats to go around seedlings to keep down competition, fencing and rebar to protect seedlings against deer browse, loppers, hand pruners, saws, and the associated labor to do all of the above. This is a gift to current and future generations. A gift that could easily have benefits 200-300 years from now.