By Scott Puthoff
Beginning more than 40 years ago, slowly but surely, a favorite urban park has been overrun by invasive plants.
We all know that invasive plants like honeysuckle, wintercreeper and privet are among the biggest threats to our parks and natural areas. They rarely have natural predators, can alter the soil, leaf out earlier and hold onto their leaves longer, and generally outcompete native plants – all of which reduces biodiversity and negatively impacts the forest.
This was the story playing out at French Park, with much of the park’s land being consumed by invasive plants. That’s when Friends of French Park (FOFP) was formed in 2022 as part of Cincinnati Parks Advisory Council. Over the past two years, hundreds of volunteers have spent thousands of hours in the park. We’ve cleared invasive plants from more than 15 acres of forest, removed invasive vines from trees, planted hundreds of native plants, and spread untold numbers of seeds.
The Miami Group also has a longstanding relationship with French Park, having held meetings and the annual picnic there in years past. Currently, the Miami Group maintains the Grove in French Park, trees planted to honor or memorialize Sierra Club members. For more info, contact Ralph Brueggemann.
To learn how you can help FOFP restore French Park to a more native state, head over to https://cincinnatiparks.regfox.com/french-park-cpac for a list of upcoming events. You can also follow us on Facebook & Instagram (@friendsoffrenchpark) to see the exciting progress the FOFP community is making in the park.
