A few years ago, a large chinkapin oak came down on the edge of Playground Park. It is Dallas Parks & Recreation policy to leave fallen trees if not blocking activities. The decaying trees provide superb food and habitat for birds and wildlife before decomposing fully.
Eastwood Riparian used the brushy cover to provide protection for young saplings that arose from acorn, pecan, black walnut and Eve's necklace masts (acorns, pecans, berries, etc) that we tossed there. Due to work and health issues among the riparian group, the invasive privet got ahead of us.
An Eastwood resident convinced the park department (via the park board rep) to remove the fallen tree, but did not notify the neighborhood association so that Eastwood Riparian could mark the saplings and share their concerns first. Her issue, which was shared by the park department, was blocked views of the park, especially the picnic table (though many users liked the privacy). But because of faulty communication, in the process all our saplings and wildflowers growing there were leveled.
Neighborhood associations are not allowed to plant trees in park land unless an automatic watering system is also installed, a very expensive project we can not afford. So tossing mast and hoping for the best is all we can do. Yet the young trees by the entry garden were all started this way. Done with care it can work.
Eastwood Riparian had an on-site discussion with park folks and a city forester, gathering many good ideas from them and setting up clear lines of communication. We came away from the meeting with great confidence in the plans and deeply appreciative for their time and consideration. They even returned and took out a few more sizeable invasives!
Thanks to a suggestion from the city forester, a load of mulch was deposited to help repair the soil damaged by heavy equipment. Volunteers from Eastwood Riparian gathered this Saturday morning to identify the sapling and wildflower survivors and spread the mulch around them.
The big load of mulch, before. Very lumpy and not fully spread. But the partial spread by the park department sure was helpful. So we got to work finishing.
Michael, leader of Eastwood Riparian, points out plants to save and where the mulch should be spread.
An American elm comes back from a stump.
Francis gets to work.
Claudia hard at work with a smile.
One of several young chinkapin oaks coming back, probably children of the original tree.
Wayne working with Michael while Sally, tied to the tree, supervises.
An elderberry bush arises. It will make a sizeable shrub with beautiful white flowers and purple berries.
Scooter, in beige cap, in discussion with others while Wayne gets down on the mulch.
The finished spread out mulch.
Our proud crew: Wayne, Scooter, Michael, Claudia and Francis.
The green flags mark where we found sapling survivors. We also discovered and marked quite a bit of frostweed and rosinweed, two tall spectacular native wildflowers. We'd scattered the seed a couple years ago, but they're coming back from their roots.
Eastwood Riparian will monitor the patch over the summer for privet and poison ivy growing back. We'll re-evaluate this fall and touch base with the park folks and forester. They'll be doing their usual monitoring as well. Within 10 years it will be a fine little forest, bringing much needed young trees to Playground Park.