Natures Landscape
Extend the value of your land by caring for natural areas and fence rows. Urban side lots, vacant land and areas adjoining larger natural areas such as parks and paper streets can be managed to limit the spread of problematic species and incorporate natural land into the extended care of your home. Our scientific backgrounds and land management experience help at the outset to reduce unnecessary work, identify and salvage important species, and strengthen the native habitat.
Restoration Ecology at Home
Pittsburgh’s varied and steep terrain has created in between areas across the city where ‘abandoned’ greenways have persisted. These areas can have very high native diversity or be vectors for invasive spread. Vacant land and fencerows often inherit their species from the ribbons of vegetation throughout the city. We are happy to help you make sense of natural pockets or extensions of your landscape so that you can efficiently care for these wilder spaces.
Whether you have a narrow urban wooded fencerow, an unwieldy adjacent property, or a few acres of meadow and forest, Fourth River can craft a plan that brings together your budget and objective for the space. We have helped a number of homeowners care for neglected vacant lots that adjoin their property. Common objectives are habitat improvement, invasive control, improve visual screening, utilize vacant land for extended garden or recreation, food production, stormwater control and any mix of these.
Initial Site Visit
One of our experts will meet you onsite to walk the area, provide an initial analysis and discuss options. This may be on its own or in conjunction with other landscape needs.
Regeneration
Vines got you down? Overgrowth can be unsightly and can inhibit the development of an otherwise healthy area. We can help you determine what needs to come out and what is worth keeping.
Invasive Management
We provide a variety of invasive management approaches depending on the plant and situation. Small pioneer areas can often be remedied quickly and monitored after, while dense long term growth requires a multi year plan.
Design and Planning Services
If you are responding to a pervasive threat such as deer, invasives or difficult conditions you may need a strategy that identifies critical work to avoid unnecessary waste of time, money and resources.
We also provide design planning services to convert lawn and field to native meadow, habitat woodlots, and certified ecological yards.
Consulting
We work with landscape service companies, architects and organizations. We bring a depth of experience implementing complex ecological goals in residential neighborhood and organizational settings.
Our Work
