A tree grows in Pittsburgh. Well, up to 100,000
October 19, 2018 2:42 PM   Subscribe

On a patch of land beneath the 62nd Street Bridge, Tree Pittsburgh is looking to train the next generation of local dendrophiles. On Oct. 18, the environmental nonprofit unveiled an expansion of its existing tree nursery on the shores of the Allegheny River. In addition to new space for more than 100,000 new tree saplings, Tree Pittsburgh also opened the doors to its new and totally green education center.

Tree Pittsburgh’s Heritage Nursery is unique in that it emphasizes growing a wide variety of tree species found across Western Pennsylvania. The mission, says the staff, is to grow a generation of new trees that will address a critical lack of diversity that is threatening the survival of our forests.

According to a study compiled by Tree Pittsburgh, Allegheny County lost 10,000 acres of trees (roughly equivalent to 7,500 football fields) between 2011 and 2015. While some of this loss is simply a result of new construction and development, a significant portion was the result of disease and the impact of invasive species.

The issue stems from the widespread practice of nurseries growing trees through cloning, where a certain type of tree is mass-produced from an array of cuttings instead of being grown from seeds. This leads to identical trees that, while pleasing to the eye as decoration along driveways or city streets, are vulnerable to diseases, pests and environmental shifts caused by climate change.

“It’s all about resiliency,” says Phil Gruszka, director of horticulture and forestry at Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. “The more we can diversify the genetic makeup of trees being planted in the urban forest, the better off we’re going to be long-term.”

Speaking of forests, urban or otherwise, walking among trees is good for the soul. We already knew this but now it is an official trend partly as the result of the Japanese practice of forest bathing becoming an international sensation. Being around nature is a healthy thing, whether you call it forest bathing or just a walk. Many MeFites agree: go hug a tree.
posted by Bella Donna (8 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
This is right down the hill from my house! I've been watching them building it, and I'll have to go down with my kid this weekend to take a peek. We just had to cut down the cherry tree in our backyard due to fungus, I'd be interested to hear their take on what we should replace it with.
posted by soren_lorensen at 3:24 PM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


Oh man thi is good news.

We’re gonna have to plant ...so ...many new trees.
posted by The Whelk at 3:48 PM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


It was nice to read some good news, you know? :-)
posted by Bella Donna at 3:54 PM on October 19, 2018


Great idea, but please don't put them in Swissvale. It's the only place left around here where you can still see the sky from the street.
posted by serena15221 at 5:20 PM on October 19, 2018


Yay! I helped clear parts of that site for a corporate service day! We raked up lots of rocks. Tree Pittsburgh has a huge positive impact on the quality of life here.
posted by DarthDuckie at 6:25 PM on October 19, 2018 [3 favorites]


Awww! How cool. I'm all about trees right now since I'm in the middle of reading The Overstory by Richard Powers.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:49 PM on October 19, 2018


They did a nice job; I went down to see it while it was under construction. They built the new space cleanly and cheaply. It's not huge, but it's a significant project for the city. I did tree-training with Tree Pittsburgh soon after they started and have followed their progress with admiration. Kudos!
posted by buffalo at 9:42 AM on October 20, 2018 [1 favorite]


Also, for those who don't know, Next Pittsburgh (the source of the article) is a local online site for Pittsburgh stuff, and has been doing a decent job providing an overview of what is new and interesting in the city. It's a good intro for new residents. Tracy Certo, who built and runs it, was the long-time editor of PopCity, the forerunner of Next Pittsburgh, that was part of a larger project based out of Detroit to create local news sites talking about and promoting second-cities in the so-called rust belt. PopCity was the second site they launched and I worked on it as photographer and sometimes-designer for a couple years and it ran out the developer office I worked in the mid to late 2000s.
posted by buffalo at 9:52 AM on October 20, 2018


« Older Criminalizing Victims   |   What up with that? Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments