4 ways Wissahickon Valley Park is making Philly more resilient to climate change

Covering 2,000 acres with greater than 50 miles of climbing trails, Wissahickon Valley Park in northwest Philadelphia offers a wide range of recreational opportunities, from climbing and biking to Birdwatching and picnicking.

We are a Professor of History the co-author of a Book concerning the Wissahickon Valley and a Assistant Professor of BiologyWe teach students at Chestnut Hill College, which is positioned directly across from this lush urban park, concerning the Environmental history of the Wissahickon Forest and the importance of Preservation of biodiversityWe are also developing a documentary film concerning the Wissahickon, funded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

We want to teach our students – and all Philadelphians – on the importance of protecting this urban ecosystem to constructing climate resilience.

Like many other large city parks within the country – from Central Park in New York or Rock Creek Park in Washington to the smaller Phalen Park in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Wissahickon lowers town’s temperatures, reduces its carbon footprint, protects the water supply and mitigates flooding. And it stays a lively arena for community constructing and engagementwhich further increases Philadelphia's resilience to climate change.

Home of the Lenape

The earliest known human inhabitants of the Wissahickon Valley were the Lenape, the Native American individuals who once inhabited the whole Delaware Valley.

The Lenape had a Reverence for the plants and animals around themTheir easy tools made from stone and wood caused minimal damage to the land, although they used fire to make room for gardens and create meadows that attracted wildlife.

In contrast, within the seventeenth century, European settlers and their descendants entire forests within the valley cut down with their metal tools and draft animals equivalent to horses and oxen. They farmed on a big scale, dammed the Wissahickon Creek and its tributaries, built water-powered mills, and built roads within the valley and surrounding area.

In 1868, the land along the Wissahickon Creek Valley inside the city limits became a part of Philadelphia's larger Fairmount Park System. In the course of making and improving the park, the Park Commission step by step destroyed the mills within the valley to revive a more natural look.

In the early 1900s, residents of Northwest Philadelphia signed petitions and held a horseback ride to protest motorized vehicles within the valley. They helped persuade the Fairmount Park Commission to Ban cars and alter the name of the road by the stream to Forbidden Drive. More than a century later, cars are still banned in Wissahickon Valley Park.

Buffer against heat

Heat waves are actually the Most common explanation for weather-related deaths within the United States.

Since the Sixties, the typical variety of heat waves within the United States increased from two to 6 per 12 monthsand the typical duration has increased from three to 4 days.

Dense concentrations of buildings, paved parking lots and roads trap heat. This phenomenon is known as the urban heat island effect and makes cities like Philadelphia more vulnerable to the impacts of warmth waves than suburban or rural areas.

The Vegetation within the Wissahickon Valley has had a positive impact on reducing the intensity of the warmth island effect, especially in northwest PhiladelphiaIn this area, Wissahickon vegetation has been allowed—and even encouraged—to increase into urban areas, in some cases several miles, making a phenomenon often known as “Wissahickon style” of landscape and architecture.

Trees and plants provide shade and release moisture into the air. transpirationthereby cooling the environment and reducing the severity of warmth waves.

The Chestnut Hill neighborhood borders the Wissahickon Valley and is about 60% tree-covered, making it certainly one of the best neighborhoods in town, in keeping with an evaluation by the Philadelphia InquirerIn fact, the Inquirer found that Chestnut Hill is 15 to twenty degrees cooler in the summertime than Kensington, Philadelphia's hottest neighborhood, which has only 7% tree cover.

Strong socioeconomic differences between the 2 communities exacerbate these heat differences. The median income in Chestnut Hill is almost thrice as high than in Kensington with high povertywhich enables greater investment in green spaces and infrastructure.

Lower carbon footprint

The Wissahickon Forest covers roughly 20% of Philadelphia’s total green space. Like all forest areas acts as a carbon sink by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in biomass – their trunks, branches, leaves and roots – and within the soil. Common native species within the park, including tulip poplars, maple trees and oaksare large carbon sinks. By absorbing carbon, the valley's vegetation contributes to reducing greenhouse gas concentrations within the atmosphere.

Protection against flash floods

As climate change Frequency and intensity of heavy rainThe vegetation within the Wissahickon Valley allows this excess water to penetrate the soil and replenish groundwater supplies.

This process reduces the quantity and speed of stormwater runoff, thereby reducing the chance of flash floods and Minimizing the burden on urban drainage systems.

Despite urbanization within the Wissahickon catchment area, where impermeable cover exceeds 26%the forest significantly reduces the chance of flash floods in nearby areas equivalent to Chestnut Hill and Roxborough and reduces pressure on town's sewer systems.

Engagement and activism

The local conservation group Friends of the WissahickonFounded in 1924, it has been instrumental in preserving and maintaining the Wissahickon for public use.

In the mid-Nineteen Thirties, with a grant from the Depression Construction progress managementThe Park Commission proposed establishing recreational facilities and food stalls at various locations within the park. Strong resistance to those amenitiesled by the Friends of the Wissahickon, persuaded the commission to withdraw. This resistance gave the impression to be largely because of a desire to preserve the natural state of the park.

In recent years, the organization has worked to take care of the natural balance of plants and animals and offer experience-based learning for college students and others. Participants will learn concerning the spread of invasive plants – equivalent to kudzu, Japanese honeysuckle and multi-flowered rose – and the damage they cause. They may even learn what it takes to take care of a healthy balance of nature, the impacts of climate change on the valley and the ecological history of the world.

By protecting the Wissahickon Valley, Philadelphia can proceed to reap the advantages of its ecosystem. This urban forest can create a cooler and more resilient city and ensure a healthier environment for its residents.