Our foundation is working with others to plant native trees

We love trees! That’s why the Allegheny County Parks Foundation has been on the forefront of replacing some of the trees our region has lost (Feb. 28, “Allegheny County Tree Canopy Declining”). Working from a carefully curated list of species native to our region, ACPF has planted hundreds of trees in Boyce and South parks that will offset some of that loss.

The need to plant more trees was identified in comprehensive ecological assessments we’ve conducted in four parks so far and hope to eventually complete in all nine. These valuable documents, produced in partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, detail the resources we want to preserve (native wildflowers!), what we want to eliminate (invasive plant species!) and what we need to add (trees and meadows!). Working with the Allegheny County Parks, we are methodically chipping away at that long list. While Allegheny County Parks is taking active measures to preserve its existing tree population, ACPF is partnering with several organizations to plant new tree habitats that will stand the test of time.

Volunteers from the community, schools and corporations planted the trees, alongside Allegheny County Rangers and Allegheny County Conservation District staff, and we know these citizen gardeners will come back for years to come to see how their hard work helped improved the ecosystem of their parks — perhaps our region’s most valuable asset.

Our robust county parks system, with its nine parks spanning 12,000 acres, is one of the largest public park systems in the country. It may realistically contain the last remaining reservoir of trees and intact forests our region will be able to preserve. If that’s the case, we’re ready for the challenge. CAREN GLOTFELTY

Executive Director Allegheny County Parks Foundation

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