The Forest Preserve Advisory Board has advanced two proposals to the Greenbelt City Council to enlarge and enhance the city Forest Preserve. On Monday, August 16, the board presented their plan to include Greenbriar Park in the Forest Preserve, an idea with unanimous support from council. On Monday, August 23, the board shared its pilot trail management project, a start on their evolving Master Trails Plan.
By including Greenbriar Park in the Preserve, it would put this eight-acre site under the aegis of the Preserve’s Stewardship Guidelines approved by council in December 2019, offering its protection and maintenance responsibilities.
On June 26, 2020, the board presented a detailed report on the ecological attributes of Greenbriar Park and their recommendation for including it in the Forest Preserve. Located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Hanover Parkway and Mandan Road, Greenbriar Park “has been continuously forested since the founding of Greenbelt. The forest is very healthy, with an interesting assortment of plants.”
Some of the unique assortment of plant species are ones “that are typically found in wetlands, such as sweetbay magnolia, cinnamon fern and swamp azalea, growing next to plants that grow in very dry soils, like white oak, Allegheny chinquapin and lady slippers.”
Another unique feature is the presence of sweet birch, which “has only been found in one other location in Prince George’s County.”
Botanist Michael Ellis declared Greenbriar Park to be “an absolutely pristine forest interior comprised of almost entirely native species. Because of the phenomenal ecology the site provides, I recommend this site be preserved and protected from undue harm and placed in a permanent conservation status.”
Adding this parcel to the Forest Preserve would give Greenbelt East a valuable amenity it currently lacks, stated Councilmember Judith Davis.
Davis requested that the board look at making sure the trail through Greenbriar Park is kept clear of litter and made safe, without making any drastic alterations to its natural state, as it is of frequent use, especially by students at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. The board president Damian Ossi said that an amendment to the guidelines could be made.
Resident Susan Gregerson, who was a member of the original task force that oversaw the Forest Preserve, said she was pleased that “the thinking has changed” on its original decision (which she opposed) to not include the parcel, as it was of possible use for future recreation needs.
Trail Maintenance
According to a report from March 25, 2021, the board would like to initiate a pilot trail maintenance plan as a way “to gain some experience with maintenance activities or try out options and inform preparation” of the Master Trails Plan being developed. The focus, through the use of the Public Works Department and trained volunteers, will be on the Pumpkin Walk trail and the trail leading from 44 Ridge Road to the southwest corner of the Northway athletics field. This area is outside the site proposed for the maglev project.
The issues to address would include: improved drainage of eroded or muddy sections of trail through the use of low invasive approaches like reshaping and minor realignments or waterbars; cutting of fallen trees that obstruct trails or rerouting around them “with an attention to aesthetics and minimizing impacts”; and controlling brush along the side of trails in selected areas. In addition, the board wants to create a “process for public reporting and suggestions related to the trail” and is committed to any alterations being virtually invisible.
Another major problem is the creating of new trails by hikers who are trying to move past obstructions, thus causing potential damage to areas that need special protection. Some users have taken it upon themselves to cut down fallen trees without city permission, which is both unsafe and invasive.
The crux of the discussion was on how to strike a balance between trail usability and preserving a natural, untouched forest experience. Councilmember Rodney Roberts was strongly in favor of as little intervention as possible, with both Roberts and Davis emphasizing that learning how to traverse a real woodland, with all the challenges, is part of the experience. Board member Bryan Bruns felt that it is acceptable that some trails could be wider and easier to maneuver and others left more natural, with most of council in favor of this approach. The consensus of council was that they are ready to approve the pilot program as long as they get a more detailed report on the specific approach to be used at each location chosen.
Council plans to vote on these two initiatives at their next meeting.