Belwin Conservancy’s Music in the Trees event is returning to the red pine grove this summer.

The annual event, which began in 2019, features various musicians performing 16 feet above the ground on platforms in the pine trees.

The 2025 concert will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Belwin Education Site in Afton.

The education site is usually reserved for students. Music in the Trees is one of the few annual events where the public can come enjoy the woods, according to Carey Davenport, communications specialist at Belwin Conservancy.

“It’s a really fun, laid-back vibe,” Davenport said. “It’s not a very formal concert environment. People picnic and relax and bring hammocks.”

This year, both Saturday and Sunday will end with Celtic music from the Celtic Junction Arts Center.

Honoring the red pines

Davenport said the red pines at the Belwin Education Site are not native this far south in Minnesota. They were planted during the Great Depression era to help prevent soil erosion. However, since they aren’t native to the area, the trees are becoming diseased and infested with insects.

As part of its land restoration work, Belwin Conservancy is taking out the old and diseased trees and replacing them with native plants in spots it calls “eco patches.” Music in the Trees is meant to celebrate this transformation process.

“This event was envisioned as a way to kind of honor the red pine forest,” Davenport said. “Folks who like nature restoration don’t like taking trees down, but this is a way to still kind of honor that legacy.”