BIRD PARK RESTORATION UNDERWAY
By Ron Block
Posted August 30, 2015
The restoration of the upper, eastern area of Bird Park has been underway since late July. Members of the Conservancy and Parks Advisory Board spent several days hand-cutting invasive honeysuckle bushes from slopes and areas that could not be reached by machine. These shrubs create a dense area of shade which allows very little to grow beneath them.
The work took a dramatic step forward recently when specialists from Eichenlaub Landscaping cleared a large area of invasive shrubs and vines with a forestry mulcher. As one can see by the photos, tree growth in this area has been severely restricted for many years because the shrubs and vines had created such a dense layer at the ground level. With the space now open, members of the Conservancy and the Parks Advisory Board will be seeding the area with native plants in a meadow mix, and planting several dozen new trees this fall.We will also be monitoring the area over the next several years to prevent the re-introduction of invasive species.
Jonathan Farrell has taken the lead on coordinating this project. Thank you to Tom Schevtchuk, Allison McGee, Angie Phares, John Franz, Ashley Setcavage and Ron Block for help with hand-cutting.
Thanks also to the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners, the Mt. Lebanon Public Works Department, the Mt. Lebanon Parks Advisory Board, and Eichenlaub Landscaping for support and assistance.
If you would like to help with trail reconstruction or tree planting this fall or next spring, contact us at lebonature@gmail.com, or Jonathan Farrell at 412-400-8755.
Here you can see an uncleared area next to the work area. The smothering effect of the invasive shrubs and over-running vines is clearly evident in this photo. Conservancy members will now work their way into these bordering areas by hand over the next few years to clear them of invasive plants and replant with native trees.
