Youngsters from Monroeville school contribute to greenway reforestation

A group of Moss Side Middle School students learned firsthand that Johnny Appleseed may have faced a tough time back in the day.

“I was talking with one girl and she told me, ‘I never planted a tree before. It’s more complicated than I thought it would be,’” Lindsay Dill said.

Nevertheless, the Oct. 24 efforts of about 90 youngsters from the Monroeville school resulted in 340 new trees at Churchill Valley Greenway. A former private golf course along the Penn Hills-Churchill municipal line, the 151-acre property is owned and protected by Allegheny Land Trust, for which Dill serves as senior director of marketing and community engagement.

“We saw this natural opportunity to kind of meet two parts of our mission, education and stewardship, by inviting students out to learn about the land, enjoy the land and help contribute to its future,” she said. “These trees will be growing up with these students.”

Following a spring planting by Woodland Hills School District students, the Churchill Valley tree total stands at 500, give or take a few.

“So they really made a huge impact by coming out,” Dill said about the Moss Side contingent.

Corrina Yobp, land trust stewardship director, taught the youngsters proper planting procedures that go beyond simply taking shovels to soil.

“They learned how to dig the hole wider than the root ball, itself, and how to safely break up the dirt around the root ball and make sure the roots and twisted up on themselves,” Dill explained. And the hole’s depth should guarantee that the collar, the area where the roots join the trunk, remains above ground.

Students may take an interest in technique, but from Dill’s observations, what really impresses them is the concept of longevity.

“They’re going through the day. They’re planting it. They’re seeing it as a school outing and just another task to get done,” she said. “But the second you remind them, ‘Hey, this tree is going to be here for a long time, and you’re going to get to see it grow up,’ you see their faces light up.”

Founded in 1993, the nonprofit, Sewickley-based Allegheny Land Trust protects more than 3,600 acres across 32 municipalities in Allegheny and Washington counties. Mosside Slopes, along Mosside Boulevard in Monroeville, is a land trust conservation easement, where surface development is restricted to ensure it remains as green space.

Along with reforestation, the organization’s improvements at Churchill Valley Greenway include new decking as a safety enhancement for a pair of bridges crossing heavily traveled Beulah Road, remnants from the golf course connecting the two halves of the property. Next year, plans call for implementing a treatment system for abandoned mine draining, to improve water quality on site and downstream.

Overall, land trust leaders consider the greenway to be a prime regional asset, drawing from a population of 100,000 in fairly close proximity.

“It’s so close for so many schools,” Dill said. “So we do see it as an opportunity for people to enjoy the outdoors and also learn more.”

And judging by the Moss Side youngsters’ visit, she views the concept as working on both counts:

“One winning quote that I overheard was a student saying, ‘This is actually very fun. I think it’s better than school.’”

For more information about Allegheny Land Trust, visit alleghenylandtrust.org.