French Park Creek Trail Restoration Project

French Park is a popular neighborhood park that offers a lot to visitors. One of the most enjoyed activities at the park is hiking. As Cincinnati Parks' Conservation and Land Management (CLM) team has grown and increased capacity, they have been able to assess various hiking trails across our park system. While assessing the trail and habitat value of French Park over the last three years, our expert team found issues with the way some of the trail system was constructed. Examples of the problems found include: a few trails run downhill instead of along the hillsides, certain sections of trails are experiencing advanced erosion and many sections of the trail corridors are infested with invasive species that have destroyed the native vegetation.

After these findings were made, the CLM team, alongside Friends of French Park and French Park’s Advisory Council, created a land management plan to overhaul the trail system and target invasive species removal. Some of this plan is underway, with the help of volunteers. So far, our team and volunteers have begun targeting Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), privet (Ligustrum spp.), burning bush (Euonymus alatus), and multiflora rose (Rosa mulitiflora).

Recently, CLM and Friends of French Park have made major headway in opening the Creek Trail by removing invasive species and replacing them with native ones. Expect closures to portions of the Creek Trail while this vital work continues. Signage will be placed to redirect the current patterns of use. We are excited to see these changes take place, as they will have a long-term positive impact on the overall hiking experience for visitors and on our native flora and fauna. 

Interested in taking part in this or other Conservation and Land Management initiatives? Click here to find out more.