Spend a planting day at Pittsburgher Highland Farm, where we’ll learn about and install a riparian forest buffer along the farm’s waterway!
Riparian buffers—strips of trees and shrubs planted along streams—are one of the most effective tools for protecting water quality, stabilizing banks, creating wildlife habitat, and building long-term resilience on working farms.
We’ll start with an introduction to riparian buffer design, species selection, and installation techniques led by Alysha Trexler of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. After, we’ll plant alongside the project team and Mark Smith, the farmer behind this 100% grass-fed beef operation.
This is a true working workshop—we need your help to get these trees in the ground! When we show up and dig together, we grow a more resilient food system together. If you'd rather come just to learn and observe, you're genuinely welcome too!
Whether you're a farmer thinking about installing a buffer on your own land, a conservation professional, a student, or simply a curious neighbor, you'll leave with an understanding of what it takes to put a riparian buffer in the ground—and the satisfaction of having helped build one!
This project is supported by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and funded through a NASDA/EPA collaborative grant.