Tree Planting at the Schuylkill Center:
Replanting Fox Glen on May 20, May 12
PHILADELPHIA - On May 20, the Schuylkill Center is hosting a dedicated tree planting to transform a portion of their forest. At the tree planting, volunteers are invited to help install almost 300 trees to a slope of forest dearly in need of it. Thanks to a generous grant from TreeVitalize Watershed Project, a program of
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , administered by Pennsylvania Horticultural Society , and supported byAqua , the Center is able to reclaim and restore this patch of forest.
This sloping piece of land alongside two of the Center�s trails, there is a section of forest which once housed an experimental planting known as the Chestnut Grove. The experiment began in 2002, with the goal of planting hybrid chestnut trees at the Schuylkill Center, to help bring back the American Chestnut, nearly extinct since the chestnut blight in the early 20th century.
In the 15 years since the experiment began the chestnuts have not done well and invasive plants like Devil�s walking stick have taken over the area. Schuylkill Center Executive Director Mike Weilbacher writes that �a number of blackened chestnut skeletons stand silent witness to this experiment.�
The Center�s staff have named the to-be-planted area Fox Glen because it sits along their Grey Fox Loop, a one-mile trail that passes by the Center�s Pine Grove, travels through meadows, and winds through a small valley.
Just a few minute�s walk from the Visitor Center, Fox Glen is an important priority for planting trees because it is at risk of erosion and sits just above a pond and a stream that flows to Smith Run, which in turn flows directly to the Schuylkill River. Replanting this forest ensures healthy waters from the immediate forest down through the Schuylkill River watershed.
Community members are invited to join the Schuylkill Center to plant trees on May 20,
from 10 am to 12 pm. No need to register in advance - simply arrive dressed to be outdoors. The Center will provide gloves, tools, and snacks.
About the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
The Schuylkill Center was founded in 1965 as the nation�s first urban environmental education center. Its 365-acres of fields and forests serve as a living laboratory to foster appreciation, deepen understanding, and encourage stewardship of the environment. Reaching over 36,000 Philadelphia-area residents each year, the Schuylkill Center offers a diverse collection of educational programs, including programs for school, continuing education for teachers, Pennsylvania�s first Nature Preschool, and a full calendar of events for the public. For more information: www.schuylkillcenter.org.
