South Hill Spruced Up: Investing in Native Species

The South Hill Recreation Way just got some sprucing up.

A two-year long project spearheaded by the Town of Ithaca has culminated with the planting of native trees and shrubs along the 3.4 mile trail. The entire rail-to-trail throughway has been the focus of a program designed to promote native species like Sugar Maple, Red and White Oak, and remove invasive species that are overgrown in the area.

About the project

The project is run by the Town Planning Department and the Public Works Department, who in recent years identified the South Hill Recreation Way as a problem area for invasive plants like Honeysuckle, Common Buckthorn, Tree of Heaven.

Mike Smith, Senior Planner with the Town of Ithaca Planning Department, said via email that “removal of the Tree of Heaven is especially important to reduce host sites for the Spotted lanternfly.”

(check out local reporting from Ithaca Week’s Tessie Devlin on the spotted lantern fly)

Over the summer, contractors worked their way through the trail removing woody shrubs and other known invasive plants. Smith says that an herbicide was applied to the stumps of removed plants in order to prevent regrowth.

One of the best measures against these species is a rapid and aggressive response, something Smith says the Town was able to do on the South Hill Recreation Trail thanks to state funding.

Map via AllTrails.com with data via USGS

“The grant funding provided by the [New York Department Environmental Conservation] allowed the Town to do this project on the entire South Hill Recreation Way at this time,” he said. “If we didn’t receive the grant funding, the project may have been delayed or split up over several years.”

The effort to invest in conservation and promotion of native species starts and stays local. Smith says that the Town purchased “all of the native trees and shrubs that were planted from White Oak Nursery in Geneva, NY.”

Impact of invasive plants

Here in the Finger Lakes Region, invasive species make a big negative impact on native plants and animals. The NYDEC says that invasive plant species can reduce the quality of both land and aquatic environments for native species. With a watershed defined by rivers, lakes and plateaus, the Finger Lakes and Tompkins county are easily susceptible to incoming invaders.

According to the Cornell Botanic Gardens, invasive plants are “capable of moving aggressively into a habitat and monopolizing resources such as light, nutrients, water, and space to the detriment of other species.”

South Hill Recreation Way, Photo by Madolyn Laurine

In recent years, the Town also focused on removing invasive species from the East Hill Recreation Way, as well as other parks and preserves.

Residents' gardening decisions make a big impact on the spread of non-native and invasive plants as well. Here in the U.S., horticultural hobbyists are responsible for up to 60% of invasive species introduction.

Smith says homeowners in Tompkins County can help the effort by removing invasive and non-native species from their property and shifting their focus to promoting native species growth. The Finger Lakes Native Plant Society suggests planting wild garlic, wild columbine, and white aster.

While the saplings on South Hill may take decades to grow, there are plenty of plants to enjoy in the meantime.