Stillmeadow PeacePark: Experimental Rehabilitation of an Urban Forest

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo by Brandon Wilson Radcliffe.

Urban silviculture workforce trainees installing deer fencing in the Stillmeadow Community PeacePark forest.

A National Research Issue

Urban forest patches are critical to climate resilience of communities and ecosystems in cities and towns nationwide. These valuable green spaces contribute to keeping communities functioning, thriving, and safe in an era of climate instability, stressors, and extreme events. Heat waves, flooding, invasive insect pests, and other disturbances are becoming more frequent and extreme, and also tend to impact communities of color and the most vulnerable members of society the most. Throughout the country, the presence and health of forests in cities has been identified as a critical component of public health, environmental justice, a thriving economy, and a healthy childhood experience.

A Local Partnership Project

Stillmeadow Community Fellowship Church owns 10 acres of forest land and a stream known as the Stillmeadow Community PeacePark. The Church and its forest are situated in the heart of the Beechfield and Irvington neighborhoods in southwest Baltimore City, Maryland. The community is made up of predominantly Black households that have been historically underserved and are vulnerable to flooding and heatwaves intensified by climate change.

The 10-acre forested parcel is ecologically degraded and contains many dead ash trees that have succumbed to emerald ash borer. The site is also heavily overgrown with invasive vines. Deer grazing deters the growth of understory plants. But with reforestation and rehabilitation, it is becoming a green space where local residents can walk the paths, enjoy the shade and commune with nature. Kids are digging in the dirt and learning about forest ecology through the PeacePark’s Baltimore Forest School. Young adults are participating in a workforce training program, learning about urban silviculture and gaining job readiness skills. Research demonstrates the importance of spaces like these for public health and well-being as well as for community health and resilience. Healthy forest patches also serve as a critical buffer against extreme heat, provide refugia for biodiversity, and help ameliorate the effects of extreme precipitation.

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo.

Research Ecologist Nancy Sonti measuring chlorophyll fluorescence on a hybrid poplar tree planted at Stillmeadow PeacePark in Baltimore, Maryland.

The USDA Forest Service’s Research & Development, State, Private & Tribal Forestry, and National Forest System branches have joined forces in planning and carrying out an urban silviculture project at the Stillmeadow Community PeacePark. This effort is a collaboration with Pastor Michael Martin, leader of Stillmeadow Community Fellowship, and a broad array of other partners and community residents. The project adds to the developing body of research and practice about how to most effectively restore forests in an urban environment. This collaborative project will produce outcomes at scale, resulting in knowledge that will be replicable across communities with similar climates and ecologies.

Researchers are conducting an experiment at the site to identify a rehabilitation “prescription” to improve forest health following the removal of dozens of dead ash trees. If left alone, the site would likely be overrun by invasive plants and vines, rather than regenerating as ecologically healthy and productive native forest. In September 2020, the Saw Program Coordinator from the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia traveled to Baltimore to train local staff in removing dead and invasive trees from the site. This critical work advanced the project, created a knowledge exchange across geographical boundaries, and strengthened understanding of silvicultural practices to improve forest health across communities.

Once the site was cleared, scientists installed forest research plots in 2021 using phytotechnologies designed to help restore a healthy forest. Twelve different genotypes of fast-growing hybrid poplars and willows were planted in five experimental plots throughout the forest. These trees will help mitigate site degradation while moving toward restoration of ecosystem services. Researchers assessed the effectiveness of planting tree cuttings directly in the ground compared to planting saplings that had been grown in pots. Other experimental treatments involve evaluating woodchips as a groundcover to suppress the growth of invasive species and using fencing to prevent deer grazing.

After three years, American elm, white oak, and chestnut oak seedlings were planted under the hybrid poplar and willow trees using a “nurse-tree shelterwood” silvicultural strategy. Additional areas were planted with a mix of poplar, willow, disease-resistant American elm, white oak, and chestnut oak seedlings to compare the nurse-tree shelterwood approach to planting the same mix of species at the same time. The addition of these mid- and late-successional native species will help transition the site to a more diverse and climate resilient forest with benefits to local biodiversity.

Key Preliminary Findings

• Potted trees of both species (willow and poplar) had higher survival than cuttings; overall, cuttings were not a successful restoration strategy at this site, but some genotypes showed potential for future testing at other types of urban sites.
• Woodchips reduced invasive plant ground cover and reduced planted tree height growth after one year, but these effects were muted after three years.
• Potted tree plots had lower invasive ground cover than cutting plots, indicating that larger trees were able to shade out invasive plant species.
• Deer herbivory and antler rubbing significantly impacted the survival of planted cuttings of both species and potted poplar trees, but not potted willow trees.
• Setting up a temporary community tree nursery to grow the poplar and willow trees before planting was very successful and can be replicated at other sites. 

Expected Outcomes

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo by Rich Hallett.

Volunteers plant trees at Stillmeadow PeacePark.  

Urban silviculture as a transdisciplinary science and practice offers new insights into fundamental social-ecological concepts and questions. Forest Service scientists, Stillmeadow staff, and other partners are co-producing an urban silviculture project at Stillmeadow PeacePark by implementing a range of restoration practices and tools to support healthy forests and local communities threatened by forest stresses, engaging youth and community members in stewardship activities, and assessing the benefits of restoring forest health. Ecological benefits include developing best practices for restoring healthy urban forests and revitalizing local communities nearby through an innovative workforce training program. Knowledge about innovative urban reforestation techniques are shared with local and state land management agencies and community land trusts through field visits, demonstration, webinars, and multi-media content. Particular emphasis is being placed on communicating about restoration techniques suited to urban forest site conditions and local stewardship capacity.