Planting Season Is Here Again!
Ditch the trash grabber and the shears and opt for something a bit more… grounding this fall. It’s planting season and saplings are so in!
Join Friends of the Wissahickon and help us install some of the thousands of native trees and shrubs planted in the Wissahickon each year that keep the park lush and green.
Saturday, 10/12
Saturday, 10/19
Halloween at Harvey Street, 10/26 (costumes encouraged!)
Saturday, 11/2
It’s no coincidence we have a planting extravaganza at the same time, each year. Cooler temperatures mean a few things for these saplings. The soft soil makes it easier to dig in and for root systems to grow nice and strong before the long winter rolls in. Fewer weeds in the cooler months means less competition for these new plants. There’s also fewer pests and fewer diseases!
These trees and shrubs will grow to be beautiful assets to the park and our neighborhoods. But there are a lot more benefits to a robust tree canopy than just what meets the eye.
Trees and shrubs improve the air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They also reduce the effects of the urban heat island effect, or in layman’s terms, they can cool cities by up to 10 degrees! The trees we’ll plant this fall will also provide habitat for the many animals that call the park home.
Large-scale plantings like these have been at the center of our ongoing battle against erosion and stormwater runoff. Large strips of vegetation can act as a riparian buffer, or a green buffer, that protect the water quality of nearby bodies of water by filtering run-off that may harbor harmful chemicals before it enters a tributary.
Besides having a great impact on the ecosystem, did we mention plantings are fun for the whole family? We’d love to have you, no experience necessary!