Buffalo Bayou Park Vegetation Management Plan (PDF)

Chapter 4Assessment of Existing ResourcesZone 9 Maintained Passive-Use Park SpaceAcreage:60 acresSlopeVariableSoils Present:Clay fill material, alluvialCanopy Closure 30%Dominant Trees:live oak, Chinese elm, shumard Oak, red Maple,crape myrtleDominant Shrubs:n/aSignificant Non-woody:Bermuda grassSignificant Invasive Species:n/aDown Woody Debris:n/aMaintained passive-use park space is the area mowed and maintained regularly by PARD receiving theleast amount of traffic of the maintained park space. Zone 9 offers the greatest potential to expand andrestore the riparian, tributary and forest zones and establish wildflower slopes and prairies.Terraced turf conditions (active and passive) primarily receive full-sun. Bermuda grass forming a lawnlike appearance serves as a closely cropped ground cover for most of the year. Winter rye overseedingoccurs on an irregular basis. Native and non-native trees, such as live oak, American sycamore andChinese elm have been dispersed throughout to stand as specimens that grow in 360 degrees of turf.They provide shade along trails and throughout the turf. Active and passive turf areas are mowed andpruned on a 14-day summer cycle. Trees along the trail are generally pruned to 8 feet high; along theroad 14 feet; and those trees that are neither along trails and roads are pruned high enough for PARDmowers to move under their canopy.Zone 10Ornamental GardensCount: 2Acreage:0.7 acresSoils Present:Transplanted Top Soil with clay-fill baseCanopy Closure: 75-85%Dominant Trees:live oakDominant Shrubs:azaleas,Dominant non-woody:Rotating showy forbsDominant Invasive Spp:giant caneThe Jane Gregory Garden and the Wortham Fountain Garden are more formal gardens containing a mixof showy native and non-native herbaceous plants backed by stands of trees and shrubs. Tree canopyabove the gardens are pruned back to allow sunlight to penetrate to the gardens and allow pedestrianaccess. The Jane Gregory Garden has a path winding through it and a bench to sit under the trees.Gardens are mulched annually and receive spring plantings by PARD.October 2004 12 Buffalo Bayou Park Vegetation Management PlanBuffalo Bayou Partnership