NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE

Regional lands are known for their tundra valleys filled with grasses, plants and bushes, not a 10-foot tree in sight. But that changed in Unalaska during the 1800s when Russian colonizers planted many Sitka spruce trees on Amaknak Island, becoming North America’s first afforestation project.

This summer marks the start of a three-year project to restore Unalaska's Holy Ascension Cathedral and its nearby structures.Right now, project leaders…