Volunteers plant 1,000 trees in Coatesville

AVONDALE » Stroud Water Research Center and the Brandywine Conservancy hosted a joint tree planting Oct. 13 on a farm in Coatesville that was once the base of the northern operations of the historic King Ranch of Texas.

Known locally as Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms, Inc., this land once provided rich southeastern Pennsylvania pasture to fatten Santa Gertrudis cattle, a breed developed by the King Ranch in Kingville, Texas. Located in East Fallowfield Township, the farm is within the Brandywine Christina Watershed, which provides drinking water to the city of Wilmington, Del. All of the land forming the core of the Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms has been protected from development through conservation easements.

Together, both organizations and dozens of volunteers planted 1,000 trees along Buck Run, which is a tributary of the Brandywine Creek. The planting will re-establish a riparian forest buffer along Buck Run to protect it by filtering out contaminants from agriculture and other land uses before they can enter the stream. A forest buffer provides a first line of defense (keeping sediment and nutrients out) as well as a secondary line of defense (keeping sediment and nutrients from moving downstream) for maintaining clean water in our streams and rivers.

Scientists at the Stroud Center have been studying the important effects of forested buffers over the past 50 years, and each tree planting is another opportunity to learn more about the relationship between trees and clean fresh water for all. “The strategic placement of trees along streams and rivers is a simple but very effective way of reducing flooding and improving their water quality,” said Bern Sweeney, Ph.D., scientist and president of Stroud Water Research Center.

Employees and supporters of Cheshire Hunt Conservancy, Colonial Pipeline, Dansko, Exelon Generation, Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce Young Business Leaders, and Wilmington Trust have already joined the roster of volunteers for the event.

Funding and supplies for this project were provided by Wilmington Trust and TreeVitalize, respectively. Bill LaFond, president of the Wilmington Trust Family Wealth division, said, “Wilmington Trust has been a longtime and proud supporter of the missions of both the Stroud Center and the Brandywine Conservancy. Their important work on water conservation benefits both our local and global communities. We appreciate the opportunity to directly participate in the impactful work they are doing.”

To learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities, research projects, and Stroud Center events, visit www.stroudcenter.org.