Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture – �鶹��Ƶ

Riparian Planting Guides to Address Flooding in Walker Township

Ada Inman — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:35:29 +0000

This project focuses to provide Walker Township leadership information and tools for its residents to address backyard flooding relating to maintenance and increased absorption on private land. When residential housing is adjacent to a creek, the lawns often run up to the creek bed. In Walker Township several residential lots border a creek that is dry during periods of drought but swells and cause minor flooding during severe rain events. The township would like to encourage residential landowners to establish creek buffers that will increase absorption during rain events while enhancing property landscaping. The students recommended plants that tolerate both dry and wet conditions, including trees, shrubs, and perennials and their planting guides.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Heather Karsten, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Crop Production / Ecology
hdk3@psu.edu
814-863-3179

Residential Pollinator Garden Guide for State College Borough

Ada Inman — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:22:21 +0000

The town of State College is in the process of providing its residence with detailed guidance on promoting pollinators through pollinator gardening approaches and habitat. Students are asked to provide recommendations specific to the State College geography for the establishment of pollinator habitat/gardens in State College residential neighborhoods, including native plants materials, guidance on planting and maintenance of pollinator gardens and its footprint to curtain overgrown areas.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Heather Karsten, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Crop Production / Ecology
hdk3@psu.edu
814-863-3179

Revitalizing the City of Reading Greenhouse as a Community Space

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 20:28:40 +0000

The City of Reading owns a large greenhouse, 6,500sqft in City Park that has been vacant since 2018. The City is interested in using the Greenhouse to educate the public about growing plants and sustainable food systems, promote the local farmers market and local food initiatives, serve for training and workforce development purposes, and to be used to grow plant material to be used within the city in public parks and public spaces, planters, storm water infrastructure. Students are asked to design a greenhouse programming plan for diverse audiences to optimize public engagement. In addition, students also include timelines for plants growth and best management practices for greenhouse operations.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Heather Karsten, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Crop Production / Ecology
hdk3@psu.edu
814-863-3179

Regenerative Grazing Initiative in Huntingdon County

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 19:43:45 +0000

The USDA office in Huntingdon County is interested in promoting regenerative farming practices. While there has been some interest among the farming community, more could be done. The USDA office would like to provide leadership by working with local farmers to explore regenerative practices and possibly establish demonstration sites. Students had the opportunity to visit farms and talk with owners to identify potential areas. Students also developed a plan to determine any applicable approaches taking into account local conditions and farmer’s preferences in a regenerative grazing operation.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Heather Karsten, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Crop Production / Ecology
hdk3@psu.edu
814-863-3179

Improving Community Park Design: A study in Walker Township

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 18:40:14 +0000

Walker Township in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, is the owner and caretaker of Woodcock Valley Park, which serves the community of McConnellstown and surrounding residents as an outdoor recreation space. The township supervisors and Park Committee would like to see changes to the park that implement easier maintenance and more utility for local residents. The township would like to see the park used more frequently by its residents, allow for parents with children at sports practice to enjoy the park, possibly accommodate community events at the park, etc. Student work include ideation and research of applications on comparable sites, planting selections and maintenance, and suggestions for educational outreach.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Liana T Burghardt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
ltb5167@psu.edu
814-863-6168

Rain Garden Initiative in Coburn Park

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 17:40:47 +0000

Coburn Park serves as the community park for Penn Township, consisting of a 15+ acres area along Penns Creek, with two picnic pavilions, a playground, baseball field and large open, mowed areas. Opposite the parking area for the park, is a swale that seems to collect stormwater runoff from the town of Coburn slightly uphill. The Park also hosts the Penns Valley Conservation Association’s (PVCA) Creek Fest annually. PVCA would like to see more sustainable management of the park including educational opportunities for pollinator gardens, rainwater gardens, and riparian buffers. A plan for the entire site had been created for a grant but ultimately was abandoned due to the cost for the township and lack of buy-in. Centre County Conservation District along with PVCA would like to identify potential design/ plant selection for a pollinator garden to serve as an educational example, as well as to get the the township on board with work on making Coburn Park an attractive location for its residents to spend time outdoors, providing research and ideation of what the park could look like and how it can serve the community.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Liana T Burghardt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
ltb5167@psu.edu
814-863-6168

Urban Forest Edge Management Through Public Engagement

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:32 +0000

Numerous pathways connect Columbiaâ€s community-centered suburban villages. These well-traveled paths are perfect for dog walkers, runners, and any citizen desiring a connection to nature that is close to home. Columbiaâ€s paths follow stream corridors, guarded by vegetation, which tends to struggle against the influence of invasive plant species. Creating a means to manage the presence of such invasive species will promote Columbiaâ€s beautiful and welcoming environment, thus working toward the Columbia Associationâ€s goal of â€œmaking Columbia the community of choice,â€ and sustaining its coveted more than 3,500 acres of open space (Columbia Association). This paper analyzed various invasive species removal programs conducted throughout the local area to provide the Columbia Association with feedback to help determine what form of invasive species management program, if any, they may be interested in developing. It looked at the effectiveness of each programâ€s management, and if they have been effective or ineffective by addressing the following questions: How have local organizations fostered public engagement in urban forest edge management? What experiences can these organizations share to help form the most efficient forest edge management program for Columbia, Maryland? Invasive plant species pose a threat to native vegetation because of their ability to take over new environments rapidly. Human actions can influence the spread of invasive species into new areas, but changing environmental conditions also contributes to the spread of invasives. Particularly successful invasive plants can ultimately alter the natural biodiversity of a region by contributing to the extinction of native vegetation and altering the ecosystem webs of interaction between native flora and fauna (MD DNR). To preserve native species and maintain the complexity of regional biodiversity, actions must be taken to control the spread of invasive plants. This is a tedious task, and it is an ongoing one, as invasive plants are capable of being reintroduced to landscapes they were previously removed from. Because of the ongoing efforts necessary to control invasive plants, the efforts of local volunteers are being enlisted throughout the country. Maryland and Virginia have a number of programs that encourage volunteer participation in removing invasive species, including programs in Montgomery County, Baltimore County, and Carroll County in Maryland, and Arlington and Richmond in Virginia.

Public Education Information and Precedents: Effects of Deer Overabundance on Plant Communities

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:32 +0000

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are present in overwhelming numbers in urban and suburban areas. Forest fragmentation supports populations of the species, which thrives in wooded edges, and those populations drive significant changes to the local plant communities. While researchers and managers know a great deal about these interactions, the general public is not always aware of the nature and severity of the effects of deer on plants. Public desire drives how money for management is applied, so poor communication of research results can reduce the effectiveness of management efforts. Communicating the negative impacts of deer on the environment is necessary to encourage public support for management.

The Value of Planting Trees in the Urban Setting

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:32 +0000

There is currently a rapid rate of urbanization taking place across the world. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 34 percent of the worldâ€s population will be living in rural environments and 66 percent will be living in urban environments (UN 2014). With urbanization comes an increase of industry, burning of fossil fuels, manmade infrastructure, and human-generated waste. These activities as well as other environmental changes that come with urbanization create a unique living space that can often be detrimental to human health (Bolund et al. 1999). For example, due to the increase of industry and automobile use, urban air carries more particulate pollution than rural air. The concentrated presence of particulate air pollution has been linked to respiratory problems (Gomez-Baggethun and Barton 2013). With the increasing rate of urbanization the ecosystem services provided by nature are needed more than ever. Ecosystem services provided by urban trees, such as mitigating air pollution, moderating urban microclimates, combating global warming, and improving urban hydrology are important in mitigating the environmental effects of urbanization (Armson et al. 2013, Beckett et al 1998, Bolund and Hunhammar 1999, Dwyer et al. 1991, Georgi et al. 2006, Gomez-Baggethun and Barton 2013). This paper aims to explore the benefits of ecosystem services provided by trees in the urban environment, including street trees, parks, lawn trees in residential areas, as well as urban forests and woodlands. The cultural benefits of urban trees will also be described.

Public Education in Invasive Species Management

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:32 +0000

The mid-term report assessed three environmental education frameworks, exploring how they function and the results of their application to invasive species management or general environmental issues. These frameworks are the public-based learning method, the social learning framework and the identity-based environmental education model. The key idea of the public-based learning method, which is described in Melardâ€s 2015 research, is that different public viewpoints are crucial for environmental controversies such as invasive species management because they can provide new insights for managers; integrating these viewpoints into management strategies can help solve the problems of these environmental issues. Researchers noted that based on this method, environmental managers should assess various public points of view and the different dimensions that these viewpoints create, then integrate them into their decision making process. The second framework is the social learning framework addressed in Krasny and Leeâ€s study. It emphasizes collaborative learning communities where information is exchanged and innovations are created through discussion among individuals who have different knowledge and experience. This collaborative learning can be in the form of a workshop where the public can be actively engaged. The study found that through a collective learning process, communities can enhance their educational practices in an effective way. The identity-based environmental education model addressed in McGuireâ€s 2015 study seeks to encourage less environmentally dangerous behaviors. The modelâ€s final goal is to help the public generate environmental self-identities through public education. Based on one engagement strategy, simply sharing concrete environmental knowledge with students will not change their beliefs and behaviors toward the environment issues. The findings suggest that educators should connect concrete environmental knowledge with studentsâ€ own experience regarding the local environment. Environmental education approaches include the focus group methodology used in Howleâ€s study. Basically, it is field-based focus group interview to obtain qualitative data about public perceptions and motivations. It was used to study public opinions about the effectiveness of control methods for an invasive species in South Carolina. This method proved to be effective and accepted by the public. A second approach is integrating mobile technology into field-based environmental education used in the Anderson study. This approach enabled participants to take notes about their ecological experiences and ask questions, using available apps on electronic devices while they are in the field. Compared to traditional approach, without the implementation of mobile technology, this approach enables the public to better understand environmental concepts. It also assesses some practical approaches and public engagement strategies concerning invasive species management, such as focus groups, invasive species workshops, and urban ecology programs. Furthermore, this report provides overall ideas of how to educate the public about invasive species and how to enhance their environmental stewardship through engaging learning process.