Clearing trees from Reading’s Skyline overlooks has twofold purpose

Area residents and visitors will soon have an unobstructed view of Reading and beyond from the three lookouts on Skyline Drive.

Crews began removing trees last week from the area below the first lookout north of the Pagoda.

They will continue working northward, ending with the lookout near List Road.

The intent is to improve the overall aesthetics of the three areas, restore the views and manage invasive plants, said Bethany Ayers Fisher, city sustainability manager.

“Moving forward this will allow the city to better manage these areas with hopes of keeping invasives to a minimum and allowing native plants to replenish,” Ayers Fisher said.

All vegetation, not just invasive species, will be removed, she said, as the method is the most economical and ecologically sound way of achieving the desired results.

Invasive plants harm the environment by reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources and altering habitats, Ayers Fisher said, noting they can cause extinctions of native plants and animals.

Some invasive plants, including mile-a-minute and Japanese hops, can choke native trees, leading to their premature death, she said, which results in an increase in damage to the mountainside from storms and erosions.

“When non-native organisms are introduced into an ecosystem,” Ayers Fisher said, “they often lack natural predators, which allows them to spread unchecked.”

The result of such spread can have huge economic impacts, too, she said, such as removal and management costs and agricultural and recreational losses. Even health care costs can be impacted, she added, due to allergens and other toxins produced by the non-native species.

Steps will be taken to minimize any regrowth of unwanted plants and encourage native vegetation to repopulate in the areas around the lookouts, said Lester Kissinger Jr., a certified arborist for the city and project lead.

“We will be monitoring these areas and will continue to remove and treat any regrowth of the invasives,” he said.

The areas will be selectively planted with natives that, when of mature height, will reduce and delay the need for future clearing.

“The city will continue to manage these areas to prevent any regrowth from obscuring the view in the future,” Kissinger said.

The project is divided into two phases, costing about $82,000 each, he said. In the first, all vegetation within the first 100 feet of each lookout and a radius of 150 degrees from a predetermined mark will be removed.

The second phase, which is optional, calls for an additional 100 feet at each lookout to be cleared if necessary, Kissinger said.

The project is being fund by an allocation from the city’s capital improvement fund to the Shade Tree Commission and is expected to be completed before next year.

It does not include the lookouts nearest the Pagoda.

“As future projects are considered for and around the Pagoda, the city will look to incorporate tree removals and replanting with appropriate native species,” Kissinger said.

The public is asked to avoid active work areas during the project.

Source: Berkshire mont