CARIBOU – Twenty or so years from now when Ena Dyer, 9, drives along Route 1 in Caribou she will be able to take a certain pride in knowing she had a hand in the young forest lining the road.

Dyer and about 20 other Girl Scouts from around Aroostook County pitched in over the weekend to plant more than 1,000 tree seedlings for the state Department of Transportation.

Working with the Scouts were two volunteers with AmeriCorps, which is coordinating with DOT, the Maine Conservation Corps and the National Tree Trust to plant trees in areas along roadsides where wind or water erosion is a problem.

Once they mature, the trees planted during the weekend will act as a visual buffer at the DOT gravel storage facility in Caribou and as a snow fence along Route 1 in Presque Isle.

“I’m getting to help MDOT,” Dyer, a member of Troop 624 in Presque Isle, said with a wide grin as she carefully dropped a black spruce seedling into a hole and tamped the dirt around the roots.

“You have to understand, I work for DOT,” Karen Dyer, Ena’s mother, said as she stood by, shovel at the ready to prepare another hole.

The younger Dyer was well aware of the project’s impact beyond her mother’s employer.

“Trees are important,” Ena Dyer said. “They give us oxygen.”

Several troop leaders and moms took part in the planting and got their hands dirty right along with the scouts.

Some carried buckets with precious seedlings while others were armed with shovels and dibble sticks – a special tree planting tool that resembles a cross between a spade and a pogo stick.

“This is a wonderful project,” Chris Finemore, leader in Troop 121 in Bridgewater, said. “It’s a chance for the girls to give something back to the community and do something important for the environment.”

Her daughter Katie Finemore and friend Amanda Clockedile, both 14 and from Troop 121, worked together, hopping in unison onto the dibble stick to dig a suitable hole for their seedlings.

“Make sure the hole is deep enough to cover the roots,” Chris Finemore said.

Both girls rolled their eyes and giggled. “We know, mom,” Katie Finemore said as the two moved on to the next marked spot.

“We’re really glad to be doing this,” Clockedile said.

All afternoon scouts, moms, DOT employees and the two AmeriCorps volunteers fanned out over the quarter-mile stretch of marshy area sandwiched between the busy highway and the state gravel storage lot.

Tiny, colored flags marked where each of the 600 seedlings would be planted.

“This is a great project and really important,” Tracey Allen, AmeriCorps volunteer with the DOT, said. “They like being outdoors and they will see the results of this for the rest of their lives.”

Before a single seedling was placed in the ground, Allen gave the scouts a quick introduction to planting techniques and habitat.

Four species of trees were planted over the weekend based on location and soil type.

Hardy, salt-resistant tamaracks were planted nearest the roads while the black and white spruce, which tolerate wet conditions, were placed in the marshier areas.

“Along with knowledge about how to plant trees they are learning how to work as a group and the fun of teamwork,” Allen said.

Troops from Ashland, Mars Hill, Easton, Bridgewater and Presque Isle took part in the weekend project.