Volunteers can help fight knotweed
Public can join in planting trees Saturday along Meeks Run
Wear work boots or sturdy shoes if you plan to help plant trees Saturday along the banks of Meeks Run in the Montour Woods Conservation Area in Moon.
“We’ll be out there, rain or shine,” said Sean Brady, executive director of Hollow Oak Land Trust, which owns Montour Woods.
The second annual conservation effort will begin with a light breakfast for participants just before 9 a.m. at the conservation area’s Hassam Road trailhead in Moon. Volunteers taking part will get instructions on how to handle the 4-foot saplings and then hike to three planting sites near the creek.
The tree planting is part of an effort to curtail an infestation of Japanese knotweed, an invasive non-native plant, in the area around Meeks Run, Mr. Brady said.
The Hassam Road trailhead is about 100 yards west of the Montour Trail. Meeks Run is a tributary of Montour Run.
The saplings were paid for with a grant from Tree-Vitalize, a statewide effort led by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The state agency partners with local
governments, nonprofit organizations and businesses in efforts to increase the number and types of trees growing in municipalities across Pennsylvania.
Last year’s program drew about two dozen volunteers, and organizers are hoping for a higher turnout on Saturday. Families with children are welcome, sponsors said. Those taking part are asked to register at info@hollowoak.org or 412264-5354.
Japanese knotweed is a fast-growing invasive perennial that reduces biodiversity, making it more difficult for new trees to become established, Mr. Brady said. The saplings to be planted on Saturday are all species native to southwestern Pennsylvania. They will grow to different heights, stabilize stream banks and provide both food and shelter for a variety of plant and animal life.
The tree-planting project will end at noon with a pizza lunch.
Other volunteer efforts at Montour Woods include weekly trail maintenance and trail-building sessions on Monday evening. Volunteers meet at the park’s Downing Drive trailhead for work that includes brush clearing, bench cutting, route planning and switchback construction.
Those who want to take part can register at info@hollowoak.org or 412417-5825. Hollow Oak Land Trust will provide instruction, tools, gloves, refreshments and beverages.
The Montour Woods Conservation Area is a 260-acre tract in Moon with about 8 miles of trails open to the public for hiking, mountain biking and geocaching.
The land trust was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit conservation organization to preserve and protect green space, much of it in the fast-growing area near Pittsburgh International Airport.
The organization owns six conservation areas, with more than 400 acres in Coraopolis, Franklin Park, Kennedy, Moon and North Fayette. It also has acquired two conservation easements for 90-acre Sahli Nature Park in Chippewa.