Truman Reforestation - Green Lane Nature Trail 

Remediation Project Description

Google Map

Excel Events acquired a land owner agreement with Bucks County, PA to remediate 20 acres of dilapidated county corridor forest land across from Truman High School, and Ben Franklin middle school along Mill Creek Rd in Bristol Township, PA. Everything from concept to project design, providing tools and equipment needed, volunteer instruction, purchasing of trees, connecting seedling for schools grant, and coordinating multiple partners, Excel Events has started it's largest multi-year reforestation project to date. The intention of this project is to establish a nature trail and food forest using only native trees, shrubs, wildflower and grasses in an area that was an invasive plant overrun eye sore. 

Truman High School and Ben Franklin middle school students will participate in developing this site and also benefit by gaining an outdoor classroom to help learn about the environment through STEM education. This site also has access to Mill Creek on Green Lane where a new Ghost Forest has developed. We will also provide erosion control through a riparian buffer and planting some wetland trees to help re-green the ghost forest wetland.

None of this is possible without the help of Bucks County Conservation District, Bristol Township Public Works, and Sewa. 

Truman High School and Benjamin Franklin Middle School students will get 1000 trees/shrubs. Truman High School Environmental club ordered Bareroot saplings from PA Game Commission - Seedlings for schools program from Howard County Nursery. 

Students will plant one tree per student of these species: 

• 550 White Spruce (may not tolerate climate in area)

• 350 Nine Bark

• 100 Silky dogwood

130 trees/shrubs nursery trees, funded by Excel Events, will be planted by Excel Events volunteers that sign up, Sewa, and CFS.

• 25 Persimmon

• 50 River Birch

• 25 Sweetbay Magnolia

• 25 Low Bush blueberry

• 5 Sycamore

Across Truman High School -  (Saturday 2-24-24)

Across From Truman High School (Saturday 3-9-24)

• blower used to clear mulched invasive off top soil

• area was aerated

• Native Grass Mix: Big Bluestem, Virginia Wildrye, Switchgrass, Partridge Pea, Indiangrass, Black-eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower, and Oxeye Sunflower.

• Native Northeastern Wildflower Mix: Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Butterfly Weed, Swamp Milkweed, Purple Coneflower, Blue False Indigo, Spotted Joe Pyeweed, Golden Alexanders, Black-eyed Susan, Lupine, Wild Bergamot, Blanket Flower, Partridge Pea, Hairy Beardtongue, Heath Aster, Smooth Blue Aster, New England Aster, Narrowleaf Mountain Mint, Brown-eyed Susan. 

• straw was also spread on the property to prevent birds from eating the seed it and erosion control

• Sewa used weed whackers, racked, and pulled sticker bushes manually clear a large area preparing for our tree plantings on  4-13-24, 4-14-24, and 4-20-24. 

• CFS used shovels, picks and racks leveling ruts. 

• Sewa prepared a trail with some downed trees.

We had the first wood chip drop and picked up the Excel Events funded trees for the Green Lane nature trail.

Native Trees and Shrubs:

• 5 - (2) gallon Sycamores

• 50 River Birch Saplings

• 25 Persimmons

• 25 Sweet Bay Magnolia

• 25 Low bush Blueberry

• Blow/Clear Weed Whacked Debris

• Aerate

• Seed Native Meadow Grass and Wild Flower

• Straw for erosion control and protect seed from birds

Deer Protection 

Provided by Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership

• 1280 Tree Tubex

• 120 Bio Degradable Tree Tubex

• 300 Shrub Tubex

• 300 Short Shrubs Oak Stakes

• 1400 Oak Stakes

Thank you Bucks County Conservation District and Penn State - Master Watershed Stewards for picking the Deer protection up. 

• 25 Sweet Bay Magnolia

• 25 River Birch

• 18 Persimmon

• 10 Low Bush BlueBerry

• 1 Sycamore

Thank you Sewa and CFS around 50 volunteers from Sewa, and 9 from CFS planted many trees and cleared Sticker Bush to prepare the site to plant more trees the following day.

• 15 River Birch

• 2 Persimmon

• 10 Low Bush BlueBerry

• 2 Sycamores

Thank you Sewa. 30 volunteers from Sewa planted many trees and cleared Mile a Minute from a planting area making room for White Spruce with Truman Students.

• 4 native purple coneflower plugs

• 3 Pin oaks

• Knotweed removal

• Multiflora Rose removal 

I spent the morning meticulously picking knotweed from the road side. Then in the afternoon 11 volunteers from Sewa planted 3 pin oaks, and the 4 coneflower plugs in and surrounding the knotweed (2 to see if it can retake the area the knotweed was removed from even with its' allelopathic effect then 2 coneflower around the knotweed to type to contain it. ConeFlower colonizes and spreads) then Sewa cleared Multiflora rose making room for White Spruce with Truman Students.

This week we asked the PA Game Commission to lessen the 1600 Trees and shrubs to a total of 1000 before they bareroot them and send them out this week. This was due to the available space and the participation expected in the seedling for school program trying to abide by their one tree per student policy.

New Native Tree and Shrub order:

550 White Spruce

100 Silky Dogwood

350 Ninebark

• 1000 Native Trees and Shrubs received

• 100 White Spruce repotted

• 6 planted with 2 students and a teacher from Truman High Friday 5-3-2024 

On Thursday 5-2-2024, 10:30 am 1000 trees were received Excel Events purchased soil and provided containers to repot the bareroot saplings to give to students. 

Ben Franklin and Truman thought that the UPS Same day notification on Thursday and communicating that we can plant on Friday 5-3-2024 was not sufficient notice, but we did schedule 5-3-2024 as a planting day.

We intend to plant next week with Classes from Truman and Ben Franklin (possibly other Bristol Township Schools).

894 trees to be planted.

• 11 more trees planted with 8 students and a teacher from Truman High Monday 5-6-2024 

On Monday 5-6-2024, after school 11 more white Spruce trees were planted across from Truman High School. 

After weed whacking the grass and preparing the planting location, and trees and materials needed,  students learned about how to plant trees from a PHS: advanced Tree tenders, learned about environmental best management practices, land grant colleges, and how nonprofit remediation projects work from a Penn State Master Watershed steward. 

(883 trees more to be planted.)

• 19 more trees planted with 8 more students and a teacher from Truman High Tuesday 5-7-2024

• 5 Ninebark shrubs planted

On Tuesday 5-7-2024, after school 19 more White Spruce trees were planted across from Truman High School. 

5 Native Shrubs were planted, then a large area was prepared making room for a larger tree planting at the end of the week, after weed whacking that grass, the water was collected from Mill Creek in buckets, wood chips gathers, stakes, tubex, trees, and tool were set up and ready to go to start planting. 

Students learned about how to plant trees from a PHS: advanced tree tender, learned about environmental best management practices, land grant colleges, and how nonprofit remediation projects work from a Penn State Master Watershed steward. 

(859 trees and shrubs to be planted.)

• 25 more trees planted with 20 more students and a teacher from Truman High Wednesday 5-8-2024

• 1 Ninebark shrub was planted

On Wednesday 5-8-2024, after school 25 more White Spruce trees were planted across from Truman High School. 

We got some water from Mill Creek to plant today.

Students learned about how to plant trees from a PHS: advanced tree tender, learned about environmental best management practices, land grant colleges, and how nonprofit remediation projects work from a Penn State Master Watershed steward. 

(838 more trees and shrubs to be planted.) 25 planted.

• 14 more white spruce trees planted 

• 7 more students and a teacher from Truman High

On  Thursday 5-9-2024, after school 7 more White Spruce trees were planted across from Truman High School. 

Students learned about how to plant trees from a PHS: advanced tree tender, learned about environmental best management practices, land grant colleges, and how nonprofit remediation projects work from a Penn State Master Watershed steward. 

(838 more trees and shrubs to be planted.) 14 planted.

• 90 more white spruce trees were planted 

• Over 60 students from 4 classes with 4 teachers

• Friday 5-10-2024

• Ben Franklin Middle School

Students learned about how to plant trees from a PHS: advanced tree tender, learned about environmental best management practices, land grant colleges, and how nonprofit remediation projects work from a Penn State Master Watershed Steward. 

(737 more trees and shrubs to be planted.) 

(163 White Spruce planted total)