05/01/2026
Recently the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association expressed concern about the work that the Albany Pine Bush has been doing to restore the pine barren environment, and wrote a resolution banning any more tree cutting in the Preserve.
In response to the concerns of the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association:
The forested area of the approximate 130-acre Woodlawn Preserve has not been maintained for well over 50 years. The retention pond, which was created in the mid 80’s to alleviate flooding in the Woodlawn neighborhood, is now thronged with invasive phragmites which severely impairs its function by reducing water storage capacity, restricting flow, and promoting rapid sediment buildup. Its growth crowds out native vegetation that destroys habitat quality and impedes maintenance. Phragmites and purple loosestrife crowds out the cattails that feed birds and other wildlife. The entire shoreline is now taken over by this invasive reed grass that is now also interfering with the quality of any recreational experience. The eradication of the invasive phragmites is being managed by the Albany Pine Bush and will take several years to see significant improvement.
The Pine Bush has been working to remove invasive and non-beneficial trees, treat phragmites, and restore trails. In 2018 the APB wrote a Restoration Plan for a small portion of the Preserve to restore it to native Pine Barren habitat. They cleared 21 acres, stumped, spread native seed and are planning at some point in the future to reintroduce the Karner Blue butterfly, which was native to this area but hasn’t been seen here since the late 1970’s. Thanks to their efforts, this is now the third year that we have lupine blooming along with other plants that are native to a pine barren environment. Of the 130 +/- acres in the Preserve this is the only area that seemed suitable for restoration to a pitch pine-scrub oak barrens as the rest of the Preserve offers a mix of wetland communities, successional old-field communities, and pockets of successional southern and northern hardwoods. So it is not feasible and not possible that the entire Preserve will be cleared to resemble a ‘moonscape’ as it was described in the letter composed by the WNA.
I recently received an email from Charles Davidson, Sustainability Coordinator for Schenectady County, after he reviewed the letter from the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association. He expressed his concern and wrote “After this came before the Schenectady County Environmental Advisory Council (SCEAC), one of our members did a little digging into the topic since a flat-out ban on tree-cutting might be ignoring larger issues that the tree-cutting was addressing. From what he gathered, the Albany Pine Bush (APB) has been removing invasive and non-beneficial trees from the preserve for years and has recently been treating the phragmites around the lake, confirming that the tree-cutting is most likely important for the health of the preserve. I am also aware that prescribed burns are needed to restore the local ecosystem and are always done very carefully by the APB.”
Forest management is necessary to maintain a healthy ecosystem, biodiversity, and resilience against climate change, pests, and catastrophic wildfires. It doesn’t consist of simply removing felled trees but includes practices like thinning and restoration to reduce fuel loads and ensure sustainable timber and wildlife habitats. It is not possible to institute a tree cutting ban without severely compromising the health of the Woodlawn Preserve ecosystem.
Joel Hecht, Stewardship Director for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, has been working with us to accomplish many of the tasks necessary to restore the health of this ecosystem. He spoke with Lou Grasso and offered to speak to the WNA to help understand the pine barrens restoration process. I encourage the WNA to take advantage of his offer and make an attempt to better understand what is needed to maintain the health of this unique ecosystem.
