Park users are just a few months away from having a new part of the Old Forest to explore.
Work started earlier this month to build a trail in the section of the forest that has been fenced since the 1980s. The 17-acre, mostly-forested tract was slated in the Memphis Zoo’s 1988 master plan to become exhibit space, but the Zoo graciously agreed to return the land to the park.
Working with A2H – Engineers + Architects, the Conservancy selected Alliant Construction to build out the trail. Their crews have been trained by Bob Richards of Bob’s Trails, Trees & Gardens to execute the design he created for the new path, which will be a loop that connects to the main Old Forest Loop to the south and the Green Trail to the east.
Bob brings nearly 50 years of experience designing trails to this project, and he is committed to making as small an impact as possible in the design and construction process. The trail will be only three feet wide, so the crews only needed a mini-excavator rather than a large bulldozer to do the work. Vegetation on either side of the trail (like tree branches that might hang in a runner’s path) will be hand-cleared and pruned back to offer a comfortable experience that’s consistent with conservation standards. In the limited areas where denser vegetation has to be cut through, we’ll leave “wildlife piles” that will serve as habitat for birds and small mammals.
Overton Park Conservancy Executive Director Kaci Murley tours the new trail with Bob Richards of Bob’s Trails, Trees & Gardens and Jim Suggs of Alliant Construction
The trail cutting process should be complete this month. In September, a contractor will come in for several weeks and remove the larger woody invasive plants that would be difficult for volunteers to tackle. This follows the trajectory the Conservancy set when we had our landscaping contractor, Echo Systems, remove truckloads of Chinese privet in 2012, giving us a jumpstart on controlling harmful plants that could then be monitored and managed by volunteers.
This project is a part of the larger initiative that will remove cars from the Greensward by relocating the Zoo’s maintenance area to the park’s southeast corner, freeing up new space for parking at the Zoo. That project, funded by a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant secured by Congressman Steve Cohen, is also underway, with grading of the surface at the southeast corner beginning this month. After the Zoo completes its move and stripes a new parking lot, parking on the Greensward will end for good.
In the meantime, we’re making plans to remove the fence around the new trail this fall, and we can’t wait to welcome you into this “new” section of the Old Forest!
