Property owners whose lands are protected with a voluntary Conservation Easement held by French & Pickering and meet the eligibility criteria can receive technical assistance and up to 80% of costs covered to convert their lawns to native meadows and plant native trees along streams.
French & Pickering will connect landowners with local expert restoration contractors who will perform site preparation, plantings, and most importantly, several years of post-planting maintenance.
“Diverse native plant communities are critical for pollinators and birds, and forested buffers along streams prevent erosion and improve water quality” noted Karl Russek, French & Pickering’s Conservation Coordinator. “As the holder of nearly 200 easements on over 7,500 acres of land in northern Chester County, French & Pickering is uniquely placed to bring in expertise and resources to assist our landowners with improving the conservation value of their properties.”
French & Pickering and its partners will also focus on managing invasive plants and deer impacts. The program will use native plant species as part of a larger effort to protect and expand the range of some of the state’s most under-represented species.
French & Pickering anticipates 2024 will be the inaugural year of an annual program. Additional support for this program is provided by the Essential Foundation.
Contact Karena DiLeo at kdileo@frenchandpickering.org if you would like to learn more about participating in the program.
Visit DCNR’s Lawn Conversion Program webpage for more on this program.
To learn more about land conservation, visit the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust website.
(Photo: Adding trees to landscapes, like these planted at French & Pickering’s Thomas P. Bentley Nature Preserve, aid in environmental restoration efforts.)
[Posted: December 6, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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