The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal) will move forward with hazardous tree maintenance at three locations in Montgomery County that include Swains Lock Hiker-Biker Campground, Rileys Lockhouse Day Use Area and Marsden Tract Group Campground. The work will begin as soon as park contractors can be scheduled. The affected areas will remain open with some partial closures. The decision was reached following an evaluation that included onsite public meetings and consultation with a National Park Service hydrologist, landscape architect and certified arborist. Because of the additional evaluation one tree will be pruned rather than removed at the Swains Lock Hiker-Biker Campground.
Some tall stumps of removed trees will remain to serve as wildlife habitat, and the park is planning to restore these areas through a replanting effort in the spring of 2016.
To help inform the public about the park’s decision making, the C&O Canal has released a resource brief titled, “Developed Area Vegetation Management,” which outlines treatment of trees and other vegetation within developed areas of the park. The resource brief can be found at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/canalhazardtree.