A growing problem: Installing a protective bamboo barrier in Rock Creek Park

Workers digging trench for bamboo barrier.

NPS/Daniel Schaible

Lots of issues can interrupt trail access in national parks. Landslides, fallen trees, wildfires, and animal jams all keep trail crews and backcountry rangers busy. Here in Washington, DC, we have another kind of hazard to reckon with, and it’s one you might not expect.

 

Bamboo is already growing through the trail asphalt.

NPS/Jonathan Shafer

Along the fence line Rock Creek Park shares with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, bamboo has started to grow near and through the multi-use trail Washingtonians depend on for their daily commutes and recreation. The National Zoo originally planted the bamboo as an emergency food source for its pandas. In order to head off this issue before it becomes a bigger problem, staff from Rock Creek Park, the Denver Service Center, and the Federal Highway Administration took action.

Staff from the Denver Service Center and Rock Creek Park worked together to find an innovative solution that made sure the National Zoo could keep its bamboo and to protect trail access for walkers, runners, and cyclists in Rock Creek Park. Starting on February 25, a Federal Highway Administration contractor began work to install a special, reinforced barrier along the side of the trail. The barrier will allow the bamboo to grow where it’s welcome and stop it where it’s not.

The project team finished their work during the week of March 11, and it should protect the trail for at least 30 years!