Tree Shepherds Ohio/Mount Airy Forest Division, a member of Mount Airy Forest Advisory Committee (MAFAC: Cincinnati Parks Advisory Council or CPAC), will be working in close collaboration with Cincinnati Parks Conservation & Land Management Team on land restoration on the eastern half of Mt. Airy Forest Park. 

This area is bounded in the west by I-74, Colerain Avenue in the east, Shepherd Creek Road and West Fork Road in the north and south, respectively.

TARGET SPECIES: Primarily, we will be tackling different invasive plants depending on the season. This may include removing invasive shrubs like Amur Honeysuckle, Burning Bush, or Buckthorn with loppers and hand saws*, cutting out small sections of vines on trees with hand saws or hand pulling smaller vines, hand pulling young invasive shrubs during the wet seasons, and removing and bagging garlic mustard or Japanese stiltgrass.

In addition to our invasive species work, Tree Shepherds will locate, identify, and cage select native trees (primarily oaks) to protect them from deer and human vandalism. In season, we will collect native seeds and cuttings to propagate species under-represented in Mt. Airy or to create a more resilient mix of trees to prepare the forest for the effects of climate change. We will then plant these seedlings in our worksites at the appropriate time.

*Trained Service People (TSP) will apply herbicide to cut stumps.

WHAT TO WEAR: Come prepared for the weather and the season. Long sleeves and long pants help keep ticks and poison ivy at bay. We find Farmer’s Defence type sleeves provide excellent protection in the woods.  Supportive closed-toed shoes with lugged soles are a necessity for traction on muddy trails and slopes. Rain gear in wet weather, hats for sun or cold. We will provide work gloves but feel free to bring your own.

WHAT TO BRING: Bring water to stay hydrated, especially on hot days. Bug spray, sunscreen, and light snacks make the day more pleasant. All tools will be provided.

WHERE TO MEET/PARK: We will meet in Mt. Airy Forest at the Oval Shelter. Map is here: 39° 10' 21.6552" N 84° 34' 9.088" W

To get there, enter the park at Colerain Avenue and take an immediate left onto Trail Ridge Road. Continue on Trail Ridge past Everybody’s Treehouse and you will see the Oval Shelter House dead ahead. Follow the fork to the right around the shelter and park.

If the shelter is occupied, we will meet just to the north of the shelter at the ‘top’ of the oval where it meets the gate, here: 39° 10' 19.0956" N 84° 34' 8.8648" W

SITE LEAD/CONTACT: Events will be led by Tree Shepherd volunteers. Primary contact is Jerome Wilson (he, him, his). Feel free to arrive late or leave early, but please call Jerome at 513-570-0845 if you're running late and he will help you find the group. If you know in advance that you will be running late, please email jerome6957@yahoo.com to let us know so we can plan accordingly.

WORKSITES: Depending on where we are working that day, we will either hike to the worksite from the Oval or will share driving directions to the worksite trailhead within the park. Some sites may require backtracking via car.

RESTROOMS: Restrooms are available at the Oval next to the giant radio tower (open seasonally, April through October). Restroom facilities closer to other worksites will be shared at the start of that particular day.

RAIN/INCLEMENT WEATHER: We will monitor weather conditions ahead of the event and cancel if it prevents us from safely and effectively achieving our goals. If a cancellation becomes necessary, we will communicate this to all registrants via email. We will usually work through rain/drizzle depending upon how heavy it is, but gusty winds are dangerous in the forest and would merit cancellation.