Tyler Arboretum in Media has cleared rows of trees along Barren Road near Penncrest High School to recreate a rare environment, the Pink Hill Serpentine barrens, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.

“While it looks like we just cleared six and a half acres of woods, it was to bring back this unique ecosystem,” said Mike Karkowski, Tyler’s Director of Horticulture. “Pink Hill Serpentine barrens has a truly unique soil chemistry and contains unique plants.”

Serpentine barrens, which formed millennia ago, are not common. They can only be found in certain places, including neighboring Chester County, east of the Appalachian Ridge from Georgia to Newfoundland, along with California and Oregon.

According to Karkowski, removing the trees is just the first step in the program to re-establish the barrens at Pink Hill. The barrens once covered more than 14 acres, but over the years organic materials covered much of it, slowly allowing the trees to start growing and covering all but three acres.

Read more about Tyler Arboretum in the Daily Times by clicking here.

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