For safety, the park will be closed to visitors while work is underway
Portland, Maine – The City of Portland Public Services – Forestry Section has commenced forest management work at Pine Grove Park with the goal of improving the long term health and safety of the park. Trees marked with blue paint are scheduled to be removed (see attached photo.) Weak and declining trees with thin crowns are targeted for removal. This will allow for more sunlight and space for new trees to grow. The forest thinning work should take up to two weeks to complete. For safety reasons, the park will be closed to visitors during this period.
Pine Grove Park is currently an ‘even-age’ stand of predominately White Pine. Healthy forests, due to natural and human disturbances result in trees with differences in age, density, size and species mix. Since 1929, when the Chapman Land Company donated the land to the city, the woodland has seen little in the way of actual forest management. Most of the White Pine are mature or over-mature age wise and will continue to decline.
Visitors should note that the park will look ‘messy’ when the foresters finish. It is necessary to leave course, woody debris on the ground as this material is an important habitat for wildlife, and, as it breaks down, it promotes soil formation to support future plant growth. Park and trail restoration work will follow later this spring. As new trees seed-in, Pine Grove will host a pine and mixed hardwood forest. This will attract more wildlife and help the woods remain a healthy and vital open space in Portland.
There will be ongoing opportunities for the public to suggest improvements to trails and vegetation. Students from Lyseth & Lyman Moore have been asked to participate in observing the forestry project, and hopefully will inspire future improvements.
For more information, contact City Arborist Jeff Tarling at jst@portlandmaine.gov.
No comments:
Post a Comment