For Immediate Release

Indiana Township, PA – In an exciting development for local conservation, Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) and the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) have joined forces to protect the 280-acre Deer Creek Conservation Project in Indiana Township adjacent to Emmerling Community Park and encompassing a scenic mile of the Rachel Carson Trail.

PGC bolstered the project with a commitment letter to provide funding and assume ownership and stewardship once ALT has completed the acquisition process.

“Conserving this land will help maintain the water quality of Deer Creek, protect the integrity of the Rachel Carson Trail and conserve critical woodlands adjacent to Indiana Township’s Emmerling Park,” said Christopher J. Beichner, President & CEO of ALT. “Our collaboration with PGC brings us a major step closer to conserving this significant land forever.”

The benefits of conserving this land are many, including:

• Expand access to recreation activities, such as: hunting, hiking, biking, birding and more
• Enhance the community’s scenic beauty and rural character by balancing intense development pressures with thoughtful conservation
• Preserve and buffer area around the beloved Rachel Carson Trail
• Preserve the high water quality of the Deer Creek Watershed, which is stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
• Proactively address community and regional resiliency by:
• Absorbing 231.12 million gallons of rainwater annually to mitigate flooding
• Sequestering 1.13 million pounds of carbon and 20,000 pounds of other pollutants annually to mitigate climate change and cleanse the air
• Create a 339-acre greenway by expanding upon Emmerling Park

“In developed areas, where there often is decreasing wildlife habitat and growing numbers of people, conserving lands for wildlife and providing opportunities for the public to get out and enjoy it both are critically important,” said PGC Executive Director Steve Smith. “As a state game lands, the Deer Creek Conservation Project will be perpetually protected, checking both these boxes.”

In addition to a letter from PGC, the project has letters of support from PA State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, PA State Representative Mandy Steele, Indiana Township and the Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy.

ALT and the landowner negotiated an exclusive sales contract in January 2024 outlining ALT’s commitment to purchase the land pending successful due diligence and fundraising by December 2024.

A total of $2,590,000 is needed to conserve the land, and PGC has committed $1,295,000 as well as necessary due diligence to close on the property. ALT has several additional grant applications pending with state and local foundation sources. Upon ALT’s successful acquisition of the site, ownership will be transferred to PGC for permanent conservation and management that supports wildlife habitat and wildlife focused recreation.

“While we have work to do ahead of year’s end, we are excited that this partnership will meet our goals of protecting this land to support biodiversity, air and water quality, scenic character, wildlife habitat, ecological health and resiliency, and opportunities for outdoor recreation along and surrounding the Rachel Carson Trail,” Beichner said.

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PROJECT LINK

https://alleghenylandtrust.org/deercreek/

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ABOUT ALLEGHENY LAND TRUST Allegheny Land Trust has helped local people save local land in the Pittsburgh region since 1993, and now conserves more than 3,700 acres across 41 municipalities. ALT’s mission is to conserve and care for local land for the health and well-being of future generations, and it envisions a resilient region with abundant green space that is easily accessible and recognized as essential to the quality of life for all.

ABOUT THE PA GAME COMMISSION For more than 100 years, the Game Commission has managed the Commonwealth’s wildlife resources for all Pennsylvanians. Its mission is to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations, and it envisions being recognized and respected as the leader in innovative and proactive stewardship of wildlife and their habitats.

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For Immediate Release 

Monroeville, PA

Local land conservation non-profit Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) acquired 97 acres called the Gateway Woods Conservation Project in the Municipality of Monroeville, thus creating a 398-acre contiguous greenway by connecting Monroeville Community Park West, Monroeville Community Park East, Sugar Camp Park, and Mosside Slopes conservation area.

“Conserving this land helps to expand the growing, green amenities of Monroeville and Pitcairn to support expanded outdoor recreation and enjoyment of nature, while also improving regional resiliency through the many benefits preserved green space has to offer,” ALT President and CEO Chris Beichner said.

As a permanently conserved green space, this land supports the resiliency of Monroeville and Pitcairn by preserving natural scenic beauty, providing a place for close-to-home outdoor recreation and environmental education, mitigating downstream flooding in the Turtle Creek Watershed, providing cleaner air by sequestering 381,000 pounds of carbon and 6,800 pounds of other pollutants annually, preventing further traffic congestion and enhancing the attractiveness of nearby communities for current and prospective homeowners.

The project received letters of support from the Municipality of Monroeville, the Borough of Forest Hills, the Borough of Pitcairn, US Congresswoman Summer Lee, PA Senator Jim Brewster, PA Rep Brandon Markosek, Allegheny County Council Rep Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, the Garden Club of Allegheny County (GCAC), Turtle Creek Watershed Association and Sustainable Monroeville.

“Gateway Woods’ conservation is a big win for our communities today and for years to come,” said Pennsylvania State Representative Brandon Markosek. “We were glad to support this effort and connect existing lands to create expanded benefits for all.”

ALT worked over a one-year period to raise the $1,092,955 needed to purchase the land. Support was provided by 100 individual donors who gave more than $42,000, as well as support from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, GCAC, the Pittsburgh Foundation and Arconic Foundation.

Additionally, the timing of the March 2024 closing date was facilitated by a short-term loan from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy through their Colcom Foundation Revolving Fund for local land trusts to provide liquidity until the proceeds of other funding sources are received.

Now that ownership of the land is secured, ALT will create a management plan for the site to ensure its conservation value is maintained and improved.

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For Immediate Release 

Ross Township, PA

Local land conservation non-profit Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) acquired 24 acres of green space in Ross Township along Lowries Run.

Conserving this land expands ALT’s Lowries Run Slopes Conservation Area and directly connects to Ross Township’s Marion Doulton Green Space, thus creating 67 acres of protected woodlands.

“This project presented an amazing opportunity to not only support regional resiliency through conservation benefits, but also to create a unique, local greenway that supports outdoor enjoyment, recreation and environmental education,” Lindsay Dill, ALT’s Senior Director of Marketing & Community Engagement, said.

As a permanently conserved green space, this land preserves water quality in Lowries Run, mitigates downstream flooding by annually absorbing 20 million gallons of rainwater, maintains air quality by annually sequestering 97,000 pounds of carbon and 1,700 pounds of other pollutants and links two green spaces that provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental education.

The project received full support from Ross Township, PA Senator Lindsey Williams, PA Representative Emily Kinkead, County Council Rep Jack Betkowski, Ross Environmental Advisory Council and the Northern Area Environmental Council.

“We prize our community’s proximity not only to built amenities, but also to natural resources,” Township Manager Ronald Borczyk said. “This land’s conservation supports our goals of protecting our air, land and water for generations to come.”

Together with partners, ALT raised the $556,727 needed to purchase the land. Support was provided by 130 individual community donors who gave more than $70,000, as well as support from the PA Department of Community & Economic Development’s Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund, Ross Township, the Colcom Foundation, the Sierra Club and the Northern Area Environmental Council.

As ALT moves onto creating a management plan for this site, it will also begin working on a new land conservation project with Ross Township. The land trust has under contract 51 acres of green space directly adjacent to the township’s 31-acre municipal park. The land sits critically at the highest point in the flood vulnerable Girty’s Run Watershed and its conservation will preserve community character and provide expanded public recreation opportunities to enhance residents’ quality of life. ALT will be working directly with the township and community to raise funding needed to secure the land by the end of this year.

“We’re excited to continue partnering with ALT to protect green spaces in Ross Township and maintain a community we’re all proud to call home,” Borczyk said.

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Lowries Run Slopes Expansion Project Link: https://alleghenylandtrust.org/lowriesrunslopesexpand/

2024 Ross Conservation Project Link: https://alleghenylandtrust.org/rossconservation

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For Immediate Release

Collier Township, PA

Local land conservation non-profit Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) acquired 90 acres of woodlands in Collier Township adjacent to Collier Community Park.

This completes the first of ALT’s multi-phase Panhandle Greenway Conservation Project, a landscape-scale effort to proactively conserve high quality green space and add to locally conserved lands like Settler’s Cabin Park, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, Collier Community Park, South Fayette’s Preservation Park, other public and privately conserved lands and the Panhandle and Montour Trails.

“Conserving this first parcel goes beyond preserving this specific property; it begins stitching together a growing, green fabric in the Panhandle Trail corridor,” ALT President and CEO Chris Beichner said. “It demonstrates a commitment to future generations, ensuring they inherit a cohesive tapestry of thriving ecosystems where they can permanently enjoy and connect with the benefits of nature.”

As a permanently conserved green space, this land supports the resiliency of the Panhandle Trail corridor by buffering the trail and nearby green spaces, preserving natural scenic beauty, providing a place for close-to-home outdoor recreation and environmental education, mitigating downstream flooding in Robinson Run and Chartiers Creek by absorbing 66 million gallons of rainwater annually, maintaining air quality by annually sequestering 322,000 pounds of carbon and 5,700 pounds of other pollutants, preventing further traffic congestion and enhancing the attractiveness of nearby communities to prospective homeowners.

Conservation’s significant role in improving water quality and mitigating flooding is underscored by the Pittsburgh region’s most recent stormwater incidents. In nearby Oakdale, streets and homes filled with several feet of standing water; at least nine people needed to be rescued from their homes.

“We see land conservation as a core solution to addressing many of our region’s challenges, like flooding,” Beichner said. “This land is now guaranteed to forever function as a natural climate solution to prevent exacerbated flooding by proactively maintaining natural, permeable surface in an area experiencing rampant development.”

The project received full support from U.S. Congressman Chris Deluzio, PA Senator Devlin Robinson, PA State Representative Anita Kulik, Allegheny County Conservation District, Allegheny County Parks Foundation, Friends of the Panhandle Trail, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden and County Council Representative Pat Catena.

“It is important for all of us to support important projects like this that promote conservation and recreation,” Rep Kulik said. “This project will significantly promote the beauty of our communities.”

ALT worked over a one-year period to raise the $630,356 needed to purchase the land. Support was provided by more than 110 individual community donors who gave more than $37,250, as well as support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, the Colcom Foundation and Massey Charitable Trust.

As ALT moves onto creating a long-term vision for this site, it will also begin working on a second acquisition of the Panhandle Greenway Conservation Project. ALT has 140 acres in South Fayette Township under contract for permanent protection and will be working with the community to raise the necessary $1,305,000 needed to secure the land by the end of 2024.

“We’re excited to work with the community on the next acquisition in this important watershed to balance intense development pressures with thoughtful, strategic conservation,” Beichner said. “By working together, we can create an unparalleled network of interconnected parks, nature areas, trails and streams that serve as a truly unique regional, recreational and ecological asset today and for generations to come.”

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Panhandle Greenway Conservation Project Link: https://alleghenylandtrust.org/panhandlegreenway/

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For Immediate Release

Allegheny County, PA – Local conservation nonprofit Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) conserved another 120.5 acres at the end of December 2022 over eight projects across Allegheny County.

“With development and infrastructure expansion continuing to consume approximately 2,000 acres of green space in the County each year, conserving these lands was a great way to end the year,” ALT President & CEO Chris Beichner said. “From the smallest conserved parcel to the largest, each project will create lasting benefits for each community’s air and water quality, wildlife habitat, biodiversity and recreation and environmental education opportunities.”

The recently-protected lands were a combination of market rate purchases, conservation easements and donated properties, and are located in Baldwin, Millvale and Wilkinsburg Boroughs, and Indiana, Moon, Reserve and Shaler Townships.

“Community support is crucial to the success of our land conservation efforts,” Beichner said. “These communities rallied behind these projects and built tremendous support to help save these green spaces.”

Among the conserved lands is the Reserve/Shaler project, which generated support from surrounding municipalities, local businesses, students in a Shaler Area High School sustainability class and hundreds of individuals. The project involved a partnership between the previous landowner, a new farmer and ALT. Its permanent protection enables the new farmer to farm another portion of the parcel and adds 45 acres to ALT’s conservation successes in the Girty’s Run Watershed.

Along the Montour Trail sits another newly-conserved land. The 14.75-acre green space builds upon the partnered efforts of ALT, Hollow Oak Land Trust (HOLT) and the Montour Trail Council. Now that it is acquired, ALT will transfer the land to HOLT for permanent protection to add to its 320-acre Montour Woods along the Montour Trail.

As part of ALT & Grow Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Agricultural Land Initiative (TRALI), a 0.14 acre addition to the Garden Dreams site will allow Grow Pittsburgh and gardeners to expand their urban agriculture operations and community outreach at the site.

“The addition of this corner lot is key to the next phase of our Garden Dreams plans,” said Grow Pittsburgh Director of Development and Communications Ryan Walsh. “In a more immediate sense, it also allows us to care for this corner lot. We’re excited to transform it from what has been an unsightly mess of weeds and debris to a neighborhood green space.”

In all of 2022, ALT conserved 290 acres of green space across multiple projects. Every resident of Allegheny County now lives within eight miles of an ALT conservation area.

“While this year’s additions are reason to celebrate our successes, we are already ramping up for several more projects this year,” Beichner said. “We are excited to continue working with communities across our region on protecting close-to-home green spaces.”

ABOUT ALLEGHENY LAND TRUST

Founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1993 in response to the rapidly declining amount of green space in Allegheny County, Allegheny Land Trust has protected more than 3,700 acres to preserve our region’s unique natural beauty, provide accessible outdoor recreational opportunities, improve water quality, sustain biodiversity, and enhance the overall quality of life for all. ALT’s strategic priorities are in land protection, land stewardship, community conservation, and environmental education. More information: www.alleghenylandtrust.org.

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For Immediate Release

SEWICKLEY HILLS, PA – Local land conservation nonprofit Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) successfully completed fundraising for three land purchases to permanently protect a total of 90 acres in Ohio Township, Franklin Park Borough and Sewickley Hills Borough.

“We’re happy to protect 90 additional acres in Northwest Allegheny County to add to the 800 acres already protected in this area and appreciative of the support of the communities who came together to help us make it happen,” ALT President & CEO Christopher Beichner said.

Following a year of fundraising, this project protects nine acres in Ohio Township along Red Mud Hollow Road and adjacent to Ohio Township Park, 25 acres in Franklin Park Borough along the east side of I-79 near Blueberry Hill Park and adjacent to previously-protected ALT land, and 57 acres in Sewickley Hills Borough just south of Sewickley Hills Park and ALT’s Audubon Greenway conservation area. Two of the purchases have officially closed, and one is scheduled to close by the end of June 2022.

ALT raised the approximate $1.5 million needed to acquire these lands through a significant grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, a land value donation from the sellers, a direct contribution by ALT derived from the sale of carbon credits and over $320,000 donated by local community members.The protection of these lands (shown in the map on page two) creates connections between ALT conservation areas and multiple municipal parks. These lands also protect scenic beauty, preserve rural character and contribute to the health and well-being of our northwest Allegheny County communities by providing clean water, fresh air, quiet tranquility, wildlife habitat and close-to-home outdoor recreation opportunities.

Including these lands, ALT now protects nearly 900 acres of green space across Bell Acres, Franklin Park, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights, Sewickley Hills and Ohio Township.

“These woodlands are a very visible gateway to these local communities,” Beichner said. “Their permanent protection creates immediate green space connections and the potential for future connections with benefits across municipal boundaries.”

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For Immediate Release

SEWICKLEY HILLS, PA – Local land conservation nonprofit Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) has been working to acquire 90 acres over three different purchases that help to connect ALT conservation areas and multiple municipal parks in Ohio Township, Franklin Park Borough and Sewickley Hills Borough.

ALT has raised the funding necessary to complete two of the three purchases. However, an additional $110,000 must be raised before April 30, 2022, for the organization to acquire the 75-acre Buerkle Woodlands parcel at the northwest corner of the Mount Nebo Interchange along Blackburn Road in Sewickley Hills. The original closing date on the property was March 31, 2022, but the seller agreed to a 30-day contract extension to provide more time to raise the necessary funds.

“These woodlands are a very visible gateway to Sewickley Hills, Sewickley Heights and other Northwest Allegheny County communities,” ALT President & CEO Chris Beichner said. “Together with local residents, we’ve worked hard over the last year to raise the funding for this important conservation project.”

Just over $1 million was needed to complete the Buerkle Woodlands acquisition. ALT secured a major grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and rallied support from the community and other donors to reduce the funding gap to the current $110,000.

In addition to protecting the scenic beauty of this area, conserving this land will also add to the growing network of connected green space contributing to the health and well-being of our northwest Allegheny County communities by providing clean water, fresh air, quiet tranquility, wildlife habitat and close-to-home outdoor recreation opportunities.

“We now face a short window to close the funding gap to ensure this land is protected,” Beichner said. “We will need additional support from those who stand to benefit the most from this land’s conservation – the surrounding community.”

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The land trust accreditation program recognizes conservation land trusts that meet national quality standards for conserving important natural places forever. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission (LTAC), an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs.

The last time ALT went through national accreditation was in 2016.  To stay accredited, reaccreditation is required every five years.  There are approximately 450 land trusts currently accredited across the United States.

“We are happy our board has decided that reapplying for national accreditation was an organizational priority,” says Chris Beichner, ALT’s President & CEO.  “Going through the rigorous accreditation process is valuable to ensuring our organization is living up to the highest standards of excellence while instilling confidence and trust with our members, donors, partners and landowners.”

ALT and LTAC invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how Allegheny Land Trust complies with the national Standards and Practices.  These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/help-and-resources/indicator-practices. 

To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org or email your comment to [email protected]. 

Comments may also be mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments, 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. 

Public input related to Allegheny Land Trust’s application will be accepted until August 10, 2021.

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For Immediate Release  

Churchill and Penn Hills, PA – After more than two years of advocacy and fundraising, local land conservation non-profit Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) has acquired the land of the former Churchill Valley Country Club, thus permanently conserving the 151-acre site as the Churchill Valley Greenway for the benefit of Penn Hills, Churchill and surrounding communities.

“We are very excited to permanently conserve this unique green space,” said ALT President and CEO Chris Beichner. “This land will be easily accessible for everyone to enjoy – especially the thousands of residents who live within walking distance. We are humbled and honored that so many residents, companies, elected officials, foundations and others supported our efforts to conserve this beautiful local green space. It is a special place for its many environmental, health and community benefits.”

With 111 acres in Churchill and 40 acres in Penn Hills, the permanent protection of the Churchill Valley Greenway will preserve natural scenic beauty, provide a place for close-to-home outdoor recreation and environmental education, mitigate downstream flooding, prevent further traffic congestion and enhance the attractiveness of the municipalities of Churchill and Penn Hills to prospective homeowners – who increasingly cite the proximity to green space as a significant factor in their selection of a community to call home.

“The protection of the Churchill Valley Greenway will add to the quality of life in Penn Hills, Churchill and surrounding communities today and for future generations,” said PA State Senator Jay Costa of the 43rd District. “The community support and the public-private collaboration to make it happen have been really energizing. The soon-to-be greenway has already become a community recreational resource, and I’m pleased that we were able to provide strong support at the state level” added Senator Costa.

ALT worked over a two-year period to raise the $3 million purchase price with local support from the more than 800 individuals in the community who donated more than $273,000, and support from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority, Pittsburgh Foundation, Colcom Foundation, S. Kent Rockwell Foundation, Duquesne Light Company, Mark A. MacKay Memorial, Bradley L. Henninger Memorial, K.C. Henninger Sokol Foundation, Sierra Club, and LANXESS Corporation.

Additionally, the timing of the June closing date was facilitated by a short-term loan from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy through a Colcom Foundation Revolving Fund for local land trusts to provide liquidity until the proceeds of all the above-mentioned grants are received.

Now that ownership of the land is secured, ALT has turned its focus toward responsible stewardship of the land for both the short and long term. In the months following closing, the community can expect to see basic enhancements to the property to improve safety, accessibility and aesthetics – projects may include trail improvements, stream crossing reinforcements, temporary parking lot improvements, signage installation, inspection of and planning for future repair of the Beulah Road bridges.

Concurrently, ALT will begin comprehensive management planning for the site, reaching out to municipal leaders and community stakeholders for input. ALT has already begun pursuing funding for site improvement, longer-term planning efforts and major stewardship projects.

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By Sara Kuebbing, Jessica Poteet, Cheyenne Moore, and Mason Heberling 

Although the old saying reminds us to see the forest for the trees, some of the most exciting plants are not trees at all. While trees might take up more space in forests, over 80% of the plant diversity in forests are less than a few feet tall, living near the forest’s floor. The Barking Slopes Conservation Area, along the Allegheny River on the outskirts of Plum Borough near New Kensington, PA is a great example of how incredibly diverse a forest in this region can be, even beyond its trees. The site was a coal mine for many decades until the late 1970s but now the forest’s slopes and ridges are home to a huge array of beautiful native wildflowers, such as trillium, wild ginger, delphinium, hepatica, toothwort, violets, and so many more. Researchers and community scientists have documented over 76 native forest wildflower species at the site, including rare species found in very few other parts of the state. Many of these species are documented on the free and open community science platform, iNaturalist, in the Barking Slopes project page (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/barking-slopes).   

Although the Allegheny Land Trust currently protects the vast wildflower diversity at Barking Slopes from development, there are other significant ecological threats to these wildflowers that are harder to manage. For example, many forests in our region are home to overabundant white-tailed deer populations, who love to eat the flowers and foliage of many of these charismatic wildflowers. Luckily, deer haven’t made Barking Slopes a cafeteria stop–possibly deer find the steep slopes an unappealing place for a meal—making Barking Slopes a special refuge for local wildflower diversity.  

While deer and development are not currently problem for wildflowers at Barking Slopes, human actions that land trusts cannot control may still lead to future decline of plant species. As with many other forests worldwide, the wildflowers and trees at Barking Slopes are experiencing warmer winters and springs than in previous decades because human combustion of fossil fuels is increasing carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and changing the climate. Humans have also transported many different shrub species from different continents to decorate our gardens. Some of these introduced, ornamental shrubs have spread from people’s yards into the forests and changed the patterns and processes of the forest ecosystems.  Together, changing climates and these new, nonnative invasive shrubs represent two of the most dominant human-caused ecological threats to biodiversity around the globe. 

Because Barking Slope is currently home to so many wildflowers, the site is an ideal place for researchers to study how forests may change in the future in response to changing climates and plant invasions. With a grant from the National Science Foundation starting in 2020, Dr. Sara Kuebbing, an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Mason Heberling, Assistant Curator of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History are leading a team of student researchers in a multi-year project to study how changing climates and invading plants might affect forest wildflower diversity at Barking Slopes.  

Warming climates means shorter winters and earlier springs. Researchers around the world have tracked how plants and animals are changing the timing of seasonal events, like the flowering of cherry blossoms and daffodils, the arrival of the first migratory robin, or the first cicada’s song are occurring earlier than they were decades ago. However, recently, Heberling and colleagues discovered another disturbing aspect of this trend. By comparing historical records—including Henry David Thoreau’s journals of spring flowering plants—to contemporary observations of flowering and leaf-out times for the same species, the researchers surprisingly found that wildflowers were leafing out about one week earlier than they had in the past, but trees were leafing out two weeks earlier than they were 160 years ago.  

This ‘mismatch’ in the way trees and wildflowers respond to warming temperatures could have large consequences for some forest wildflower species. Many wildflowers emerge from their winter dormancy before the trees are flush with leaves. These wildflowers rely on this short period of time when lots of light reaches the forest floor so they can photosynthesize and generate enough energy to reproduce before the tree canopy fills in and makes the forest floor dark. If trees are responding faster than wildflowers to warming spring temperatures, wildflowers may have smaller periods of time to capitalize on the high light in the early spring. Heberling estimates that the reduction in light from earlier tree leaf out could reduce the energy wildflowers can gather each spring by nearly half in the next 50 years if climate warming continues at its current pace. 

Then there are the invasive shrubs. Hailing from different continents with different climates, many of these shrubs also leaf out very early each spring, casting deeper shade on the wildflowers growing beneath them. At Barking Slopes, invasive shrubs such as privet, honeysuckle, and five-finger aralia might be further reducing the early spring light that reaches the forest floor. Over the past year, Kuebbing and Heberling’s field team have monitored the timing of leaf out and the differences in light levels beneath native and invasive shrubs at Barking Slopes, as well as the health of wildflowers growing underneath. The researchers have already found that invasive shrubs reduce understory light earlier in the spring and cast deeper shade than native shrubs, and that these nonnative shrubs—like the trees–may be more responsive to a warming climate than their native counterparts, causing them to leaf out and cast shade earlier in the season.  

But not all the invasive shrubs at Barking Slopes are early spring risers. Some of the most prevalent invasive shrubs at the site are knotweeds, shrubs that grow along the roads, slopes, and trailsides in dense patches of tall, reddish-brown bamboo-like stalks with bright green, heart-shaped leaves. Knotweed, unlike some of the other invasive shrubs, doesn’t start poking out of the ground with sizeable leaves until late May, after the trillium has flowered.  Although slow to get started growing each spring, by July knotweeds can tower over hikers’ heads and cast deep shade to the forest floor. Any summer or fall blooming wildflowers, like broad-leaved goldenrod or white wood aster, that might not be bothered too much by the early spring leaf-out of trees and shrubs, will certainly have trouble capturing enough light if they are growing within or below a dense knotweed patch. 

Invasive knotweeds are found all around Pittsburgh, across the United States, and even in Europe but Barking Slopes presents a unique opportunity for research on the impacts of knotweed on wildflowers. Unlike many areas, Barking Slopes is home to three different types of knotweed. Japanese knotweed and giant knotweed came to this area in the early 1900s as part of the horticulture trade. These two plants, both originally only found in east Asia, never lived at the same sites in their native habitats. However, after their introduction to North American gardens, they were able to hybridize and create a new type of knotweed, Bohemian knotweed. Because Barking Slopes is home to all three types of knotweed, it provides is a great opportunity to study ecological similarities and differences between each. This summer, Cheyenne Moore, a graduate student in Kuebbing’s lab at Pitt, will study the knotweed, the native plants growing within the knotweed patches, and the surrounding environment to understand how these three shrubs are impacting native plants and the soil.  

This summer, when you’re out hiking at Barking Slopes, you might see some field researchers peering underneath the patches of invasive shrubs or laying on the forest floor measuring the height of small herbs.  You should wave, say hi, and ask them about their work. They will tell you how, by investigating the changing light availability for wildflowers and unique variety of invasive knotweed at Barking Slopes, they are gathering vital information to promote forest diversity throughout the northeastern US.  

About the Authors: 

Sara Kuebbing is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Cheyenne Moore is a first-year graduate student studying plant conservation and invasion biology in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Jessica Poteet is a research technician in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Mason Heberling is an Assistant Curator of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 

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