Into the woods

There’s a new reason to visit one of Homewood’s hidden natural gems. 

The 65-acre Homewood Forest Preserve, located adjacent to Homewood High School, boasts 27 native tree species, some of which are more than 100 feet tall. Some biologists believe the forest could be 10,000 years old. 

Thanks to a new Eagle Scout project, tree markers now line the preserve’s half-mile trail, and more information is just a click away. QR codes on each marker allow hikers to scan the sign to access more information.  

The idea originally came from Homewood High School senior Cade Fowler’s scoutmaster from Troop 95, Dean Snow. He suggested Cade renovate the trail, and Cade came up with the idea of tree markers featuring QR codes. Environmental and earth science classes at the high school use the trails, but Cade said he doesn’t think most students know it’s there.

The QR code addition incorporated technology into a more traditional scouting endeavor. 

“Scouting is trying to push into the next generation, but we still are going out camping where you don’t need cell phones,” he said. 

Using skills he had learned in a computer applications class at school, Cade posted pictures and information on the troop’s website. If you scan the QR code from any sign, it takes you to an information sheet on the tree from the Alabama Forestry Commission’s website. To get there, Cade had worked with a librarian at the high school to find the most credible information source.

When he pitched the idea to Freshwater Land Trust, which controls the land owned by the city, the organization liked the project and gave him their full support. They asked only for their name to be on the signage to create awareness of their work 

Three people helped Cade identify the trees: Zac Napier, land steward with Freshwater; Henry Hughes, director of education at Birmingham Botanical Gardens; and Chuck Kelly, a local landscape architect and father of one of Cade’s friends. 

After getting the markers in place, they ran the trail once again with a GPS to mark the points of the trees. The full map of the markers is now available by scanning the QR code at the start of the trail.

Cade said he learned a lot along the way about trees and project management. 

 “The idea of the Eagle project is for the candidate to show leadership,” said Cade’s mom, Karen. “It was less about Cade doing the work than creating a plan, getting resources and following up to make sure everything came together.”

 “I learned that six months is not nearly enough time for a project like this and that things will change and fall through,” Cade said. “There is always something you don’t expect.”

Working with a group of younger scouts in his troop, Cade showed them how to put metal fence posts in the ground, just as Cade had done on older scouts’ Eagle projects when he was young. In fact, one of his first memories of the Forest Preserve — after looking at the salamanders as a cub scout — was helping fellow scout Drew Templeton build an amphitheatre on the hill of the preserve when Cade was in sixth grade. Likewise, another younger scout is building on Cade’s idea by looking at an Eagle project that would place QR codes in different wilderness areas around Birmingham with birding information.

Cade was working fast on a deadline. Eagle projects must be completed by a scout’s 18th birthday, and Cade’s was Oct. 1. He finished the project Sept. 30.

To get to the Forest Preserve, turn off Lakeshore Drive south onto Old Montgomery Highway and after 1/10 of a mile turn right at the armory onto South Lakeshore Drive. After 4/10 mile, park in the Homewood High School lot (near the gym) and then walk on South Lakeshore Drive back toward the armory. The entrance to the preserve is marked on your right.