Oakmont Council commits to first step of Dark Hollow Woods restoration plan

Dark Hollow Woods, a 40 acre nature reserve in Oakmont, has fallen victim to erosion and invasive species that are slowly kneading away at the integrity of the plant life that lives there.

Oakmont Borough Council has decided to prioritize the well-being of the forest, and the surrounding life that it affects, by setting the Dark Hollow Woods Restoration and Maintenance master plan in motion.

In July, council members gave the go ahead to Phyllis Anderson, assistant borough manager, to begin forming a committee to head the master plan. The committee will consist of five directors: a master gardener, an Oakmont Garden Club member, a council member and two residents who will discuss and enact each step of the plan.

“We need to get together to confirm the appointment of directors and then we will start recruiting volunteers,” Anderson said. “We need to designate people for fundraising, grant writing, a tour guide and an outreach person that will communicate with our schools … and talk to the students about the importance of preserving our forests.”

The master plan will address a few different issues that are hurting the vegetation in the woods. The project will include planting new trees to combat the fact that most of them are all the same age, meaning they will begin to fail, or die, at the same time. With some of them being attacked by quickly spreading diseases, that time may come sooner rather than later.

Oak wilt disease is a common culprit found within the woods. It is transmitted by tree cutters not cleaning off their cutting tools. Since the roots are interconnected, if one tree is affected it can spread from tree to tree through the root system.

The newly planted trees will be covered for three to five years, until the saplings are strong enough to survive hungry deer.

After working with Environmental Planning and Design, a Pittsburgh-based landscape architecture and design firm, and borough engineer Bill Wengerd of Senate Engineering Inc., the committee will map out a way to redirect storm water that has also played a hand in eroding the trails and land of the woods. Anderson said that a subdivision behind the forest has directed water to the other side of the retaining wall and is causing erosion.

Baby fish and animals will benefit from the planned riparian buffer repairs. A buffer is a vegetated area near a stream that helps shade and protect a body of water from the impact of land uses. They help improve the water quality of streams and rivers, and serve as a fantastic hiding place for small animals.

“If we do nothing, the woods will erode to the point that they would be gone,” Anderson said. “If we start the maintenance now, the woods will still be there for people to enjoy in the future.”

Anderson said that the borough has started to do work already, repairing a split-rail fence and working on a retaining wall in the woods near a neighborhood.

“We’re working on these projects now because we want to prove our dedication to this plan when we apply for grants,” Anderson said. “We’re using our own funds right now because we realize that we need to restore in order to maintain.”

The Oakmont Garden Club has begun to play a role in the project by attempting to eliminate invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and garlic mustard. Club members cut the knotweed, then inject it with the herbicide glyphosate. They repeat the process several times before it eventually eradicates the knotweed.

“This won’t happen overnight,” Anderson said. “The master plan will span about 50 years. We’re going to prioritize each project in the plan one at a time.”