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Juniata Terrace Landscape Framework March 2026

Contents

Background In 2024, Juniata Terrace earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places for its unique history as a Garden City-inspired industrial village— later incorporated as a tiny but thriving borough. Emile Perrot, who had designed other well-known factory-oriented towns, laid out the townhouses and boulevards for workers at the American Viscose Corporation in nearby Lewistown (now Granville Township), leveling a terrace from a hillside farm in 1923. An adherent to the Garden City movement, Perrot envisioned a fulfilling experience of landscape for the residents of Juniata Terrace, centered on a wide boulevard planted with shade trees, but little is known about the specifics of his planting ideas, and tight budgets limited their realization. In April 2024, the Juniata Terrace Borough leadership, headed by Mayor John Wagner, sought the help of Penn State via the Hamer Center for Community Design to clarify a vision for the boulevard—a much loved feature of the community— and for the many other landscape opportunities not addressed by Perrot or evident in the historic district. These include rolling woodlands, traces of the original farm, a recently cleared prospect above downtown, and the potential for spectacular views to the oldest known Pennsylvania railroad station and the freight rail lines that wind their way past the Juniata River. The Juniata Terrace Landscape Framework is the product of meetings, research, analysis, and field tests over two years. During that same period, Borough leadership has also partnered with specialized students and faculty through Penn State’s Sustainable Communities Collaborative to address other challenges and opportunities. This work is supported by a Research-based Project Grant of the Hamer Center for Community Design - a research and outreach arm of the Stuckeman School at Penn State. The Hamer Center for Community Design (Hamer Center) is an endowed center that seeks to utilize the expertise of faculty and students in the Stuckeman School to address a range of issues impacting the quality of communities, with a focus on issues with relevance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Hamer Center activities entail two distinct but related types of undertakings: 1) applied research; and 2) theoretical investigations on issues related to community design/planning. The Hamer Center’s work addresses public issues such as, but not limited to, community-based design/planning, affordable housing, development of design guidelines, sustainability, park and recreation planning, and environmental and ecological analysis.

Research & Facilitating Alec Spangler, assistant professor of landscape architecture at Penn State, prepared this document. He was supported by Penn State landscape architecture undergraduate assistants Evelyn Bartner and Vincent Lin, who conducted research and helped create a 1/164thscale topographic model of the Borough and surroundings.

Assets & Goals: Historic District

Assets & Goals: Borough Landscape

Part 1: Terrace Boulevard

Background on Juniata Terrace, American Viscose Corporation, Emile Perrot, and other relevant history was provided and illuminated by Borough Historian Rick Bodenschatz. All partners in this work have relied heavily on his consulting and his recent book, Juniata Terrace…A Walk Back in Time.

Restoring the Boulevard Tree Canopy: Why is it Important?

Terrace Boulevard Tree Inventory

Tree Species Mix & Spacing Recommendations

Lisa Iulo, Director of the Hamer Center for Community Design, facilitated the initial partnership between Spangler and Borough leaders and oversaw funding. Ilona Ballreich facilitated partnerships with other Penn State faculty and students who were consulted for this document and continues to develop ongoing partnerships through the Sustainable Communities Collaborative.

Phasing & Growth Rate

Tree Planting Process & Details

Tree Species Criteria

Community Investment

Shrub & Perennial Beds

Species Options for Boulevard Plant Beds

Plant Bed Maintenance

Boulevard Sidewalk Planting

War Memorial

Community Leaders John Wagner, Juniata Terrace Mayor Rick Bodenschatz, Juniata Terrace Historian Caitlin Noland, Borough Manager Douglas Kemper, Council President Eric Rhodes, Council Vice President and Maintenance Lead David Kauffman, Council Member Richard McMillin, Full Time Maintenance Brian Book, Borough Civil Engineer (CP Engineers)

Part 2: The Landscape Network

Tank Hill South Face: Stormwater Coordination

Tank Hill North Face: Trail Connections & Views

Trail Circuit & Placemarkers

Park Units: Creating Identity & Cultivating Support

References & Resources

Assets & Goals: Historic District 1

Worker’s Row Homes

School Building

Garages

School Playground

Terrace Boulevard & Street Layout

Company Store

• Establish design & maintenance standards

• Include flowering perennials and shrubs • Select tough, low-maintenance species

• Optimize maintenance 570 580 +HP 0 59 Approx. 633’ 0 60 0 63 0 61 0 Fill gaps in Boulevard 62 canopy trees:

• Minimize root incursion to curbs

550

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510 520 530 540

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• Select species for success & ease of care

570

550 560

590

Enhance and diversify Boulevard planting:

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Wa y

520

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55 0 54 0

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• Site planters sized for narrow sidewalks

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• Suggest tree locations, space allowing

500 510

Enhance Veteran’s Monument with more e cohesive, easy to maintain design; use Av n salvaged stone from Borough operations. so ud

540

0 55

Enhance Terrace Boulevard Streetscape:

Rte

490

560

Building contributing to NPS Historic District Non-contributing building

580

100’ 0 0 50’50’100’

200’ 200’

Assets & Goals: Borough Landscape 1.1

Shade farm house site

1.2

“Tank Hill”

1.3

Viaduct (1928; replaced 1989)

Lewistown Junction Station

1868-present Lewistown Station/ former freight warehouse 4b

4c Former eastbound passenger platform & shelter with tunnel

Prospect from Tank Hill

Former American Viscose polyester plant

Former American Viscose rayon facility

Former Old Stoney/Granville Road rail crossing

Potential train lookout

Original 1853 passenger station site 4a

ata

Va lley

Co.

GRANVILLE TOWNSHIP

4b St on

Develop train overlook in existing cleared area

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Develop trail network and view corridors to train & Lewistown industrial area

GRANVILLE TOWNSHIP

Create formal route for trail circuit across church land

Improve existing informal connection under viaduct to for larger trail circuit

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More permanent seating and long term recreation plan for Tank Hill prospect Planting & stormwater strategy for bare slope to Tank Hill facing Community Avenue

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Connect existing informal trails to larger trail circuit GRANVILLE TOWNSHIP

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Develop gathering space directed to & honoring Shade farm house site

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Approx. Extents of NPS Historic District Contributing or Significant Building/Site Non-contributing building

0 75’ 150’

300’

0 50’ 100’

50’ 100’

200’

Part 1: Terrace Boulevard

Restoring the Boulevard Tree Canopy: Why is it Important? 1. A tree-lined boulevard is in the spirit of Emile Perrot’s design While there are little or no surviving records of Perrot’s planting ideas for Juniata Terrace, his writings refer to rows of trees along streets and the drawings for Marcus Hook Viscose Village show consistent rows of shade trees along boulevards. The same drawings and text suggest that Perrot did not always anticipate how much space a healthy shade tree would need. Perrot’s expertise was not in landscape, but he did have a strong vision of the landscape elements required for a successful, Garden City-inspired model village, and canopy trees are an important feature of that vision.

2. Continuous canopy benefits the local environment and Juniata Terrace residents Large shade trees, especially in mixed plantings of regionally adapted species, provide better habitat, soil improvements, heat island reduction, carbon sequestration, and rainwater evapotranspiration (taking pressure off drainage systems) than smaller trees and shrubs

3. The Terrace Boulevard median is the only practical place for large shade trees Maple trees (likely Norway maples, based on photos, right) were at one time planted between the sidewalk and curb in front of the properties on either side of the boulevard median, but the planting area is too narrow to be practical and con licts with pedestrians, parking, and street infrastructure, eventually causing this form of tree planting to be phased out and planting strips mostly paved over. The boulevard median is wide enough to support very large shade trees with no such conflicts, providing shade and seasonal interest in the overhead zone once covered by the maples, as well as in the median itself.

4. Large, long-lived canopy trees are a good investment Spread out over the total lifespan of a large shade tree, costs and maintenance are relatively low compared to other landscape improvements. As an example, Penn State Grounds Services only does routine maintenance checks on campus trees on a roughly fiveyear cycle. If trees are planted at a young age with relatively easy and inexpensive measures taken to ensure healthy development, the only major investment is time. Thus, it is important to have a long-term strategy in place. The boulevard currently has several healthy, mature shade trees, but as these reach the end of their life in the coming decades, it is critical to have new trees already established to take their place.

5. Canopy trees are visible and impactful improvements that elevate the standards of care for property owners

Viscose Village, Marcus Hook, PA

One of the Borough leadership’s main goals in making landscape improvements and leveraging the NPS historic district designation is to set the precedent for both private property owners and municipal works to take pride in the community. Resident and landlord owners are more likely to care for their property as long as the Borough continues to invest in public landscape. The Borough leadership may even decide to codify landscape standards for private property in line with the historic district, but first those standards need to be established in the public realm.

Terrace Boulevard, Photos: Rick Bodenschatz

Existing Gaps and Tree Spacing Large gaps in canopy exist in each of the four blocks of Terrace Boulevard, including almost the entirety of the block from 3rd to 4th Streets (bottom). In other blocks, mature shade trees exist, like the catalpa in the image directly below, but all recently planted trees are understory species that will not grow large enough to replace the lost canopy when older trees die in the decades to come. Penn State’s Main Mall is a useful example for canopy restoration. Because of the age of the elms on the mall and die-offs related to Dutch Elm Disease, campus staff have had to strategically fill in gaps with new, mixed shade tree planting. The image to the right shows relatively young trees planted to mirror the Main Mall on the Henderson Building side,

following removals of several very large elm trees. Note the planting area is similar to the Terrace Boulevard median. The trees on these malls are spaced at 30 feet or slightly less, a typical spacing for allées or row planting to create a continuous canopy. This spacing and density of shade trees has other advantages: mature trees will be less vulnerable to wind and snow damage because the impacts are distributed over more individual trees. Most species tend to have fewer and smaller low branches at a closer spacing because the lower part of the tree will be shaded out as trees around them grow, reducing the need to prune. (Source: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences)

Terrace Boulevard Tree Inventory 1. Japanese Maple

3. Japanese Maple

4th

2. Dogwood

5. Catalpa

7. Cherry Plum

6. Cherry

4. Pin Oak

S t r ee

Com

mun

ity

9. Red Oak

8. Catalpa

Ave

t 1

Mature shade tree

3 4

Unhealthy tree Gap in canopy: no trees or small, understory trees only

Recently removed tree

BLOCK 1 4th St to 3rd St (526 linear feet)

BLOCK 2 3rd St to 2nd St (316 linear feet)

Notes on Existing Species Pin oak and northern catalpa trees are thriving, and provide a model for tested species selection. Recently planted trees are all understory species, limited in height and breadth to 20-30 feet. Of these, the kousa dogwoods show signs of stress and poor health.

10. Pin Oak

Recent repairs to the median curb show that root intrusion is a concern and should be factored into species selection, placement, planting, and maintenance methods.

12. Pin Oak

14. Japanese Maple

16. Kousa Dogwood

18. Kousa Dogwood

20. Catalpa

Hudson Ave 11. Cherry Plum

1st Street

Community Ave

17. Japanese Maple

15. Spruce (or sim.)

13. Kousa Dogwood

BLOCK 3 2nd St to 1st St (448 linear feet)

21. Japanese Maple

19. Japanese Maple

BLOCK 4 1st St to Viaduct Way (412 linear feet) 0 15’ 30’

60’

Tree Species Mix & Spacing Recommendations Quercus Oaks

NOTE: Species here are only suggestions. For general recommendations on selection, species diversity, and phasing different growth rates of different trees, see the following pages.

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

Acer rubrum Red Maple

Quercus Oaks

4th

Acer rubrum Red Maple

S t r ee

Com

mun

Acer rubrum Red Maple

ity

Ave

Cs Ns

Q Cs Ns

Quercus Oaks

Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum Acer rubrum Red Maple

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

Quercus Oaks

BLOCK 1 4th St to 3rd St (526 linear feet)

BLOCK 2 3rd St to 2nd St (316 linear feet)

Mixed Species and the Red Oak Forest Mixing tree species ensures that no one pathogen impacts all trees at once, as with elm tree plantings throughout the United States over the last generation. It also creates better habitat and more seasonal interest. And mixing relatively fast- and slow-growing species can be part of a strategy to fill in canopy when and where it is needed most. (See following pages) The local natural environment is classified as Red Oak - Mixed Hardwood Forest, common on dry slopes overlaying shale bedrock in

Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

this part of Pennsylvania. Typical species of this environment, including the red oak and black gum, are naturally adapted to the soil conditions in the boulevard, which include thin topsoil and potentially high clay content. Some naturally occurring species, like beech and ash, are not recommended because of disease risk or intolerance to urban conditions, while other native species not common in local forests have proven success in the boulevard due to general resilience, like northern catalpa.

Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

Quercus Oaks

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

Acer rubrum Red Maple

Quercus Oaks

Cladrastis kentukea American Yellowwood

Quercus Oaks

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

Hudson Ave

1st Street

Community Ave

Source for forest classification: Zimmerman, E., and A. Hnatkovich. 2022. Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. Red Oak - Mixed Hardwood Forest Factsheet. https://www. naturalheritage.state.pa.us/Community.aspx?=16061

BLOCK 3 2nd St to 1st St (448 linear feet)

BLOCK 4 1st St to Viaduct Way (412 linear feet) 0 15’ 30’

60’

5-10 Years

Phasing & Growth Rate Block 4 (1st St to Viaduct) Sample Planting

Cornus kousa Kousa Dogwood

Acer palmatum Japanese Maple (or sim.)

Cornus kousa Kousa Dogwood

Acer palmatum Japanese Maple (or sim.)

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

Year 0: Initial Planting

Trees in poor health are removed. New shade trees are planted, alternating slow-growing species with fast-growing species and existing mature shade trees. This accelerates well-distributed canopy from trees that will reach maturity around the same time, while investing in a greater diversity of species and lifespans for the long term.

60’ 50’

Slow-growing species planted next to existing mature catalpa

Ailing Kousa Dogwood to be immediately removed

40’ 30’ 20’ 10’

MED GROWTH

Cladrastis kentukea Yellowwood

FAST GROWTH Quercus palustris Pin Oak

Acer palmatum Japanese Maple (or sim.)

Cornus kousa Kousa Dogwood

Acer palmatum Japanese Maple (or sim.)

FAST GROWTH Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

15’

SLOW GROWTH Acer palmatum Quercus phellos Japanese Maple 30’Willow Oak 60’(or sim.)

0’

Years 5-10

Ailing trees are removed as needed. As existing large shade trees reach the end of their life, slow-growing species planted adjacent begin to reach significant size. Fast-growing species already provide robust shade and other ecological benefits, balancing tree height distribution over the length of the block. Some “accent” species, like Yellowwood, may accompany special locations, including the Armed Services Memorial

60’ 50’

Allow healthy understory trees to continue to thrive but remove as needed

40’ 30’ 20’ 10’

MED GROWTH

Cladrastis kentukea Yellowwood

FAST GROWTH Quercus palustris Pin Oak

Acer palmatum Japanese Maple (or sim.)

FAST GROWTH Acer rubrum Red Maple

Acer palmatum Japanese Maple (or sim.)

FAST GROWTH Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

15’

SLOW GROWTH Acer palmatum Quercus phellos

30’Willow Oak

Japanese Maple 60’(or sim.)

0’

30+YearsYears 10-20

Removed trees are continuously replaced with new shade trees at 30’ spacing, alternating slow- and fast-growing species. By the time large shade trees that had existed during the initial planting are gone, new fast-growing tree species have more than replaced the lost canopy.

60’ 50’ 40’ 30’ 20’ 10’

MED GROWTH

Cladrastis kentukea Yellowwood

FAST GROWTH Quercus palustris Pin Oak

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

FAST GROWTH Acer rubrum Red Maple

SLOW GROWTH

Gymnocladus dioicus Kentucky Coffeetree

FAST GROWTH Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

FAST GROWTH

Acer rubrum 0 Maple 15’ Red

SLOW GROWTH Acer palmatum Quercus phellos 30’ Willow Oak

0’

Japanese Maple 60’ (or sim.)

Years 20-30

Near continuous canopy

60’ 50’ 40’ 30’ 20’ 10’

MED GROWTH

Cladrastis kentukea Yellowwood

FAST GROWTH Quercus palustris Pin Oak

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

FAST GROWTH Acer rubrum Red Maple

SLOW GROWTH

Gymnocladus dioicus Kentucky Coffeetree

FAST GROWTH Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

FAST GROWTH

Acer rubrum 0 Maple 15’ Red

0’

SLOW GROWTH Quercus phellos 30’ Willow Oak

60’

Years 30-40

Continuous canopy; understory trees may be inter-planted as desired

60’ 50’ 40’ 30’ 20’ 10’

MED GROWTH

Cladrastis kentukea Yellowwood

FAST GROWTH Quercus palustris Pin Oak

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

FAST GROWTH Acer rubrum Red Maple

SLOW GROWTH

Gymnocladus dioicus Kentucky Coffeetree

FAST GROWTH Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

SLOW GROWTH Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum

FAST GROWTH

Acer rubrum 0 Maple 15’ Red

0’

SLOW GROWTH Quercus phellos 30’ Willow Oak

60’

Tree Planting Process & Details Mid-August to October: Plant winter cover crop to improve soil

April to May: Digging and Tree Planting

Tests conducted from summer 2025 to spring 2026 suggest that solarization or occultation of lawn before seeding may not be as important as lightly tilling directly into living turf grass. Further tests may reveal more, but the protocol below is updated according to the most successful application so far.

1. Deciduous shade trees should be purchased as close to planting time as possible. Buy 1.5”-2” caliper balled and burlapped trees with a 24” diameter root ball.

1. Use a hand tiller to lightly break up the soil beneath existing lawn in a minimum 10-foot diameter circle around the planned tree location. A larger circle is even better, up to a 20 foot diameter as shown below.

• Break up clay and shale with a digging bar or machinery as needed.

2. Dig down 12 inches in a circle 5 times the diameter of the root ball (10foot diameter) with the planting location at the center.

2. Hand broadcast tillage radish seeds over the area. Seeding rate for tillage radishes is 8-10 lbs per acre. If the prepared area is about 1,200 square feet, this means ¼ to 1/3 lbs of seed. 3. Spread a thin layer of compost over the area, 1/16-1/8” average (use borough yard waste compost or compost available from the county). Make sure compost is mature (6-18 months old and mostly decomposed – not fresh leaf or yard waste) 4. For best results, water the area every few days, especially during hot, dry periods in late summer. (moderate radish growth was observed even without watering)

Tillage radishes are an agricultural cover crop, but they were recently used to help restore compacted, poor park soils at the St. Louis Gateway Arch grounds, where the existing landscape was too sensitive for machine tilling. On the boulevard, the radishes will help decompact and aerate soil, and improved nutrient availability, all without disturbing established tree roots. https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/2017/03/30/the-drillingradishes-of-st-louis/ Photo: CityArchRiver Foundation

March-April: Ensure cover crop is killed

• Stockpile the spoils for backfilling (tarps from solarization/occultation can be reused for this). Assuming only the lowest few inches are clay and broken shale, this material can be mixed evenly back into the topsoil stockpile. Limit the proportion of clay/shale to ¼ the total stockpile. If necessary, add topsoil from a nearby location to fill out the needed backfill volume. 3. Measure the height of the root ball to determine final hole depth. • Pull back the wrapping at the base of the trunk. If the root flare (the widening of the trunk just before the first roots separate from the trunk) is covered, remove and brush off any soil. • Measure the height of the root ball to the base of the root flare to ensure this is not covered when backfilling the hole, as this will partially suffocate the tree.

1. Ideally, the entire crop of tillage radishes will naturally winter kill. Seeding earlier in the fall makes this more likely because the mature plants are more exposed to cold temperatures. 2. Mow down any living above-ground foliage. This will help kill any remaining plants. 3. Persistent plants may be killed with a flame weeder or by cutting through the top of the tuber with a shovel.

Source for tillage radish use: University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension https://arkansascrops.uada.edu/posts/fertility/tillage_radish.aspx Source for compost use: Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station

4. The tubers (radishes) should be left in place. They will rot in the ground over the winter and early spring, delivering concentrated nutrients back into the soil and leaving holes for improved aeration, water transport, and soil decompaction. This may cause a sulfur-like smell during warm days in early spring. Neither persistent radish plants nor unpleasant smells were observed in the first round of tests.

Source for tree planting best practices: Planting and after care of community trees, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension, 2001.

4. Dig the hole to the depth of the root ball • Dig in the center of the 10-foot diameter hole the remaining depth from the surface to match the height of the root ball. This hole should be at least twice the diameter of the root ball: 48” for a 24” root ball. • Dig an additional trench 2-3 inches around the edge of the bottom of the hole, leaving a pedestal in the middle, where the root ball will sit. • Scarify (deeply scratch and loosen) all sides of the hole to increase contact between undisturbed soil and backfill and encourage root penetration.

6. Backfill hole and mulch • Backfill with the stockpile mixture. If the mixture contains some shale and clay spoils (no more than ¼ the total), break up and mix this material as much as possible before backfilling. • Refill hole in 2- to 4-inch lifts (layers) and tamp down each lift lightly to reduce settling. Do not compact the soil. • Fill hole up to the level of the base of the root flare. • Add 2-3 inches of wood, bark, or leaf mulch (mature leaf mulch is cheaper and easier to obtain on site) over the 10-ft diameter of disturbed soil. • Do not allow the mulch to touch the base of the tree – after applying mulch, sweep any mulch that is touching the tree 8-10 inches away. 7. Staking and guying • Penn State Extension recommends not attempting to keep newly planted tree trunks completely immobile, as some degree of flexing from wind leads to stronger trunks in mature trees. • See staking recommendations at https://extension.psu.edu/planting-ornamentals

5. Place tree and remove all wrapping • Remove or loosen as much twine and wire as possible without compromising the root ball before placing to make it easier to remove the rest after placement. • Place the root ball on the pedestal in the hole, keeping the tree vertical. Prop up the root ball with backfilled soil as needed. Steady the tree trunk but do not lift from the trunk. • Once the tree is placed, remove all wire, twine, burlap, and other materials wrapping the tree. Be ready with shovels of backfill to shore up the root ball in case the soil in the ball begins to fall apart. If necessary, burlap can be cut away down to the base of the tree and a small amount of burlap left underneath, but no amount of metal wire should be left in the hole, as this will constrain roots.

8. Watering • Follow recommendations at https://extension.psu.edu/plantingornamentals • Note that the boulevard site falls into the category of sites where “natural drainage is slow” because of the high clay content and shale close to the surface. Take extra care in soaking newly planted tree roots gradually to avoid waterlogging the backfill and damaging the soil structure.

April to May: Lawn Reseeding as Needed 1. Outside the 10-foot diameter mulching area around the tree, lawn grass can be reseeded directly into the killed and mown radish cover. The decomposed radishes create a good medium for lawn grass. 2. Use the borough’s typical seeding process or refer to https://extension. psu.edu/lawn-establishment. Additional soil amendments and preparation should not be necessary, though the ground may be raked to smooth out any pockmarks from dead radishes and further roughen the ground for seeds. Reseeding is only needed if the radish crop is so robust that it impedes normal lawn growth or if lawn is removed. In the first test plots radishes were thinly scattered and their foliage receded back into the lawn as the tubers rotted. Ideally, there would be more consistent radish growth, but most of the cover crop area will be within the mulched zone around the tree anyway, so it is not necessary or desirable to reestablish lawn. 3. Note on soil preparation and amendments: the light composting from the tillage radish planting and the nutrient uptake and release from the decomposed radishes themselves will push nitrogen and phosphorus levels towards the optimum range, as described in the Penn State Extension soil testing results. These soil tests are geared towards optimal conditions for a “park” setting and primarily for the success of turf grass, and the planting procedures described above will improve those conditions. But it is also recommended that trees be selected based on their natural adaptations to the local environment – specifically, the mixed oak forests over shale bedrock along ridge foothills – which have a chemistry and plant communities that are different from the optimal conditions referred to in the soil testing materials.

April to May/September to November: Shrub and Perennial Planting 1. Plant beds for shrubs and perennials can be prepared with the aid of loosened and improved soils at the outer edge of the tillage radish planting zone. 2. Depending on the ease of working the soil, a single trench can be dug for the entire plant bed, no closer than 2 feet from the curb. If digging is difficult, dig individual holes for each shrub and perennial. 3. Dig holes as deep as is practical, up to 3 feet, as this will improve plant success and discourage roots from seeking outward towards the curb. 4. Note that the soil directly adjacent to the curb will not have been improved by the tillage radish planting, the relatively porous soil of the plant bed and the relatively compact soil near the curb will encourage development of roots along the edges of the boulevard median, offset from the curb, rather than pushing against the curb outward. This would apply to shrub and perennial roots as well as long lateral roots of mature trees reaching from the center of the median. 5. The offset from the curb is an estimate. If there is gravel against the curb from when it was originally set, measure the offset from the edge of the gravel, as this may invite root penetration. Make sure there is a buffer of compacted soil between improved soil and the curb. Digging and planting Leaf or wood mulch, 10’ shrub & perennial beds diameter around tree also provides attractive soil volume for lateral tree root development, away from the curb Unimproved soil, 2-3’ from the curb, forms a natural barrier to mature tree roots

Restored lawn with improved soil conditions

Long Term Care: Planning for Mature Canopy and Roots It will take years for any new trees to threaten the existing boulevard curbs, but root conflicts can be avoided by optimizing growing conditions on the boulevard median itself. Thirty-foot spacing on the median provides ample area for a mature tree, but with only a thin layer of good topsoil, roots will aggressively seek out better resources. Improving availability of air, water, and nutrients in the median will reduce root intrusion elsewhere. Pin oaks, red oaks, and swamp white oaks are among the relatively few oak species that lack a deep taproot and have a shallower root system overall. Thus, they are able to thrive in thin soil like that of the boulevard. Underlaying shale in this location is weaker than other surficial stone and may be penetrated and broken by strong roots. Still, it is not recommended to select trees that rely on probing deep into the soil. Do not top trees to control height, as this weakens the tree and promotes dense and poorly structured limb growth in the upper canopy. Pruning to shape the tree’s form should ideally be done in the first 5-10 years of its life, with later pruning only as needed. See Penn State Extension: https://extension.psu.edu/pruning-landscape-trees

Tree Species Criteria There are plenty of shade tree species that can work for the Terrace Boulevard. The following selections are all regionally native and well adapted to the planting conditions in the median. Some preference is given to species that are characteristic of local forests, including red oaks and maples, but these must also have tolerance to salt and urban conditions. Others not typical of neighboring forests have long been a part of Terrace Boulevard, like northern catalpa.

ALREADY ON BOULEVARD

FASTER GROWING

This list is a starting point and it not meant to rule out tough well adapted non-natives, like ginkgos or European lindens. The species below are characterized as relatively fast- or slow-growing to help coordinate long-term planting plans.

One response is to thoughtfully phase preparation and planting of new trees. The Borough can decide how many new trees to plant per year based not only on available work hours and budget, but how much of the boulevard can be disturbed without creating a negative experience in the near term. Because trees grow over a long time scale and different trees grow at different rates, planting can be spread over many years and still result in a balanced canopy. An important second piece is communication. Landscape projects are often phased over many years and opened in partial states of completion, and new maintenance practices can result in community members experiencing the landscape in a way they are not used to. Temporary, or in some cases, permanent signage explains to passers by that something unusual in their environment is in service of a long-term benefit. This can change the perception of something as broken or neglected to a source of pride and excitement, and can even help spur community participation.

Gymnocladus dioicus Kentucky Coffeetree

Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum/Tupelo

Acer rubrum Red Maple

Cladrastis kentukea Yellowwood

Quercus bicolor Swamp White Oak

Quercus rubra Red Oak

Tree Planting Protocols: Upfront Investment vs. Urgency & Long-Term Benefit HIGH COST / WORK HOURS

While the planting strategies described above are lower in cost than conventional methods, with potentially better results in the long term, they do require longer periods of time during which landscape improvements are visibly in-process. The sequence of cover cropping, mulching, and reseeding the mature root zone of each planted tree may take only a couple of workdays in total, but large portions of the boulevard may be disturbed for months at a time.

Quercus palustris Pin Oak

SLOWER GROWING

• • •

LOW COST / WORK HOURS

Community Investment

Catalpa speciosa Northern Catalpa

•

Tree planting best practices

Shrub and perennial planting

Winter cover crop to aerate and improve soil •

•

Removal of dead or ailing trees

Lawn reseeding

Occultation/solarization to remove lawn and sterilize soil

BENEFICIAL LONG TERM / LESS URGENT

CRITICAL SHORT & LONG TERM / URGENT

Examples of informational signage. Penn State students and faculty could potentially collaborate on signage and other communication, through the landscape architecture and graphic design departments Photo left: innovative signage; right: Engaging Places)

Shrub & Perennial Beds

4th Street

Block 1 (4th St to 3rd St) Sample Planting

Combine mulched areas for more closely spaced trees to simplify maintenance and retain min. 5 ft width lawn for mower

Mulch 10-foot diameter min. around proposed tree, Typ.

Extend mulched area to plant bed at curb

Clear path for mowing preserved by alternating plant beds

Plant bed area may be expanded or reduced as desired Based on plant bed area shown in this graphic, assume approx. 900 mediumsized shrubs for the entire Block 1; approx. 60 medium sized shrubs for the plant bed called out above.

Existing Tree

Mulched Area Approx. 8,300 square ft, incl. beds

Lawn Approx. 9,890 square ft

Proposed Tree (Typical Spacing)

Plant Bed (Shrubs and Perennials) Approx. 3,300 square ft

Mower Path (Min. 5’ Width Clearance)

General Recommendations Plant beds can be coordinated with tree planting, with composted and mulched areas at the bases of new trees extended to the curb. This merging of tree prep areas with plant beds increases moisture retention and nutrient availability for newly established tree roots beyond the initial 10-foot diameter area while demarcating areas for shrub and perennial planting at the street edge. Alternating the expanded beds on the north and south sides preserves a clear path for mowing and creates visual depth.

Terrace Boulevard

The illustrated plan to the left is a sample of how this strategy can be applied to a boulevard block, but the actual area of plant beds and planting quantities is adaptable to resources and other conditions, and can be phased over time.

Soil Conditions & Native Species The soil of the boulevard median is relatively thin, poor in nutrients, and acidic. While Penn State Extension soil tests recommend amendments of lime, nitrogen, potash, and phosphate for conventional turf grass, the boulevard can already support native shrubs, perennials, and grasses adapted to existing conditions.

0 5’ 10’

20’

The species on the following pages are all winter-hardy Pennsylvania natives with medium to high tolerance of drought, low-nutrient soil, and in many cases, road salt. Since they evolved in the region, these species prefer acidic soil. In addition to their durability and low maintenance needs, native species provide habitat for local pollinators and other beneficial wildlife. Use of native species is supported by various public and private grants for watershed and habitat restoration. Other good options exist in addition to those listed, and the exact species list can be adjusted based on availability.

Species Options for Boulevard Plant Beds Shrubs Clethra alnifolia Summersweet

Itea virginica Virginia Sweetspire

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

3-8 (smaller vars. avail)

4-6 (smaller vars. avail)

2-5

4-8

5-8 (smaller vars. avail)

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

July-August

Full sun-part shade

insignificant

Full sun-part shade

(Evergreen)

Full sun-part shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

HIGH

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

MEDIUM-LOW

HIGH

MEDIUM-HIGH

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

3-5

3-4

3-5

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

June-July

Full sun-part shade

insignificant

Full sun-part shade

May-July

Full sun-part shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

MEDIUM-HIGH

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

MEDIUM-LOW

MEDIUM-HIGH

HIGH

MEDIUM

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

1-2

6-8

2-4

3-5

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

insig. April-May

Full sun-part shade

Berries in winter

Full sun-part shade

June-September

Full sun-part shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

HIGH

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

HIGH

MEDIUM-HIGH

HIGH

Comptonia peregrina Sweetfern

Myrica pensylvanica Bayberry

Ilex verticillata Winterberry

5-10 (smaller vars. avail) 5-10 (smaller vars. avail)

6-12 (smaller vars. avail) 6-12 (smaller vars. avail)

Ilex glabra Inkberry Holly

Ceanothus americanus New Jersey Tea

Potentilla fruticosa Shrubby Cinquefoil

Perennials Liatris spicata Blazing Star

Amsonia hubrichtii Blue Star

Rudbeckia hirta Black Eyed Susan

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

2-4

0.75-1.5

2-5

1.5-2

3-4

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

July-August

Full sun-slight shade

June-August

Full sun-part shade

May-June

Full sun-part shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

MEDIUM

PREFERS

MEDIUM-HIGH

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

MEDIUM-HIGH

LOW

HIGH

MEDIUM

MEDIUM-HIGH

MEDIUM

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

2-3

3-6

2-3

2-6

1-3

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

April-May

Full sun-part shade

August-Sept

Full sun

July-September

Part shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

HIGH

PREFERS

MEDIUM-HIGH

PREFERS

MEDIUM-HIGH

PREFERS

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

HIGH

LOW

MEDIUM-HIGH

HIGH

MEDIUM

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

2-3

1-2

2-4

2-3

1-2

1-1.5

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

Bloom Time

Sun Exposure

June-September

Full sun

July-August

Full sun-part shade

April-May

Full sun-part shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

HIGH

PREFERS

MEDIUM

PREFERS

HIGH

PREFERS

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

HIGH

MEDIUM

HIGH

MEDIUM

Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower

Aster novae-angliae New England Aster

Monarda didyma Scarlet Beebalm

Baptisia australis False Blue Indigo

Helianthus divaricatus Woodland Sunflower

Anemone virginiana Tall Thimbleweed

Grasses/Sedges Panicum virgatum Switchgrass

Schizachyrium scoparium Little Bluestem

Sporobolus heterolepis Prairie Dropseed

Bulbs Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

3-6 (smaller vars. avail)

2-3 (smaller vars. avail)

0.5-1

0.5-1 (mat forming)

Growing Season

Sun Exposure

Growing Season

Sun Exposure

Warm Season

Full sun-part shade

Cool Season/Evergreen

Part-full shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

HIGH

PREFERS

MEDIUM-HIGH

PREFERS

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

HIGH

MEDIUM-HIGH

MEDIUM

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

2-4

1.5-2

0.5-1.5

Growing Season

Sun Exposure

Growing Season

Sun Exposure

Warm Season

Full sun

Cool Season

Full sun-shade

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

HIGH

ANY PH

HIGH

ANY PH

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

HIGH

MEDIUM-HIGH

MEDIUM

Height (feet)

Spread (feet)

2-3

Growing Season

Sun Exposure

Warm Season

Full sun

Poor Soil Tolerance

Acid Soil

HIGH

ANY PH

Drought Tolerance

Salt Tolerance

HIGH

MEDIUM-HIGH

Carex pensylvanica Pennsylvania Sedge

Carex appalachica Appalachian Sedge

Common garden bulbs are a good way to jumpstart plant beds in very early spring before other plants begin their growing season. There are few options for native bulbs that will have the same visual impact as daffodils, crocuses, and other introduced plants that have become ubiquitous in the landscape. These can be safely and easily interplanted with native species. Choose varieties that will naturalize easily to reduce the need for replanting.

Plant Bed Maintenance Bed Preparation Plant bed preparation consists of removing lawn, lightly tilling soil, planting, and mulching around new plants. Small containerized plants are recommended, rather than seeding, because they will become established and be able to compete with weeds more quickly and will have a higher rate of success. Since the plant beds are relatively small and can be phased over time, the expense of container plants over seeds is not drastic. Mid-spring is the best time to plant. There are several options for removing lawn, as described in the Penn State Extension article: Meadows and Prairies: Wildlife-Friendly Alternatives to Lawn https:// extension.psu.edu/meadows-and-prairies-wildlife-friendly-alternatives-tolawn.

June-October Shrubs, perennials and grasses are in full leaf

November-February Dead foliage, flowers, and seed heads can be left in place over winter to provide visual interest and resources for wildlife.

Routine Maintenance The traits of most of the species above that make them well suited to the boulevard come from their evolution in natural meadows. This means that some of the maintenance techniques for cultivated meadows can be applied to the boulevard plant beds. Designed meadows must be mowed periodically for weed control and to maintain the dominance of perennial plants. All of the grasses and perennials (not woody shrubs) selected here can be mowed close to the ground in late winter/early spring to be rejuvenated later in the growing season. If bulbs are planted, time the mowing to cut just over the emerging plants. After the plant beds are established, a single mowing will be enough for routine maintenance, because new weeds will be largely crowded out. But during the first 2-3 years after planting, additional weed control is needed. Regular hand-weeding, as in a home garden plot, is one option. Another is to mow 2-3 more times during the growing season for the first 2-3 years until the preferred species begin to dominate. For more details see the Penn State Extension article: Meadows and Prairies: Wildlife-Friendly Alternatives to Lawn https://extension.psu.edu/

March Mow perennials and grasses in late winter/early spring to promote new growth and keep beds tidy, leaving all woody plants. See text at left for weed control details.

April-May Perennials and grasses regrow as trees and shrubs leaf out.

Boulevard Sidewalk Planting Only the largest boulevard trees provide some shade for the flanking sidewalks and homes (This photo is from 10:46am September 19). Gaps in the boulevard tree canopy currently leave large areas of the sidewalks fully exposed.

Much of the landscape strip has already been paved over Minimum 5-foot width is preferred Max. 3-foot wide planting area is inadequate for large shade trees. Small understory trees can impede walkway.

Parking Loss of parking spaces is a concern for residents

< 3 ft

≤ 5 ft

Approx. 8ft Width

Sidewalk Planters for Near Term Canopy At one time, heavily pruned maples lined the sidewalks on either side of Terrace Boulevard. The trees were oversized for the 3-foot wide planting area provided on the curb side of the walkways, and they created maintenance issues for both the community and private residents. Decades from now, large canopy trees in the boulevard median may reach heights to provide shade to the sidewalks at most times of day during the warm seasons, but today, gaps in the boulevard canopy mean that large areas of sidewalk, yards, and front facades have no shelter from the sun. There is no practical way to widen the sidewalk planting area, particularly without losing parking—a major concern for residents—and new trees in the existing pits would be short lived, high maintenance, and prone to failure. Moreover, the former planting strip has already been paved over in many locations.

The solution proposed by Borough leadership is sidewalk planters. For planters to succeed and harmonize with the historic boulevard, the following considerations must be addressed: •

Winter conditions: plants in containers are more sensitive to freezing soil and may require additional protection.

•

Species selection: selections must tolerate the special conditions of containers and match the character of the rest of the boulevard planting.

•

Durability and ease of maintenance: planters and plants must be long lasting and within the borough’s resources to maintain.

•

Compatibility with the historic downtown: planters need to complement the scale of the boulevard and the character of the homes, while maintaining the spatial requirements of the sidewalk.

Terrace Boulevard sidewalks were once lined with maples. Photo: Rick Bodenschatz

Mobile Planters: Adaptability & “Fostering”

Sample Planter Arrangement

Rolling planter boxes enable plantings, including small trees, to be moved into a more sheltered area during the harshest period of winter. Planters can be moved into Borough facilities or could be “fostered” by community members. Trees and shrubs in planters still need to experience the natural cycle of dormancy in cold weather but may suffer if fully exposed. A semi-enclosed backyard or patio off the boulevard could be an ideal overwintering spot. Residents could enjoy the still-picturesque bare trees and underplanting and feel invested in their fostered planter throughout the year, potentially helping with watering and maintenance.

The illustrations below show a custom rolling planter 5 feet long x 30 inches wide x 3 feet tall; spaced approximately 12 feet apart within the outer sidewalk landscape strip. Spacing is aligned to residential entrances. Removable wood skirts can be added to conceal locked caster wheels.

Pictured bottom-middle is the Commercial Cedar Planter Box with Caster Wheels from Danny Custom Work in New Brunswick, N.J. Similar boxes could be built to custom sizes, potentially with volunteer labor. Greater depth and width would support the soil volume needed for larger plantings.

Planter Species Small trees for planters need to be exceptionally tough and adaptable. The following three native species would make an effective foundation and would provide a sequence of spring blooms and seasonal change to enliven the boulevard throughout the year. Trees can be underplanted with grass and perennial selections from the boulevard plant list above. Hamamelis vernalis Ozark/Vernal Witch Hazel Bloom time: February-March Vernal Witch Hazel is in bloom before even the earliest bulbs. American witch hazel grows in similar conditions but blooms in late fall. Cercis canadensis Eastern Redbud Bloom time: April Redbud grows like a weed throughout the region so wild collected specimens are always available, and failed plantings are easily replaced. Amalanchier spp. Serviceberry/Shadbush/Juneberry Bloom time: April-May Serviceberry flowers are followed by edible blueberry-like berries in June. Mess is limited by how much they are loved by birds and people.

Image: Commercial Cedar Planter Box with Caster Wheels from Danny Custom Work in New Brunswick, N.J.

Unfinished cedar is a preferred material for planters because of its natural preservative properties. The wood weathers naturally from warm tan to gray. Non-wood elements such as metal corner braces can be painted to coordinate with architectural details.

War Memorial Maintenance and Re-dedication The recent adoption of Juniata Terrace’s downtown as an NPS Historic District, with Terrace Boulevard at its core, along with the upcoming U.S. Semiquincentennial, suggest an opportunity to revisit the memorial for service members from the community lost at war. The stone marker with names of the 11 lost soldiers is in good condition and is well placed on the end of the median at the intersection of First Street and Terrace Boulevard, along with the flag pole and uplights. The plant bed surrounding the memorial has been well cared for. Strategically expanding the planting could improve the clarity of this reflective space, draw attention to the marker, and give the overall visual experience a greater weight more aligned with viewing from a car or from the sidewalk at least 40 feet away. Two main practical considerations influence potential expansion of the memorial space: 1. Maintenance of the lawn and plant bed around the memorial is complicated by the sharp angles tapering back from the end of the median. Mowing would be simplified by rounding out the back plant bed edge. 2. A large stock pile of foundation stone from the historic Shade Farm House is available for reuse (see below). A reference to site history and remembrance of a past era would be a fitting material choice for the memorial landscape.

Above: Memorial seen from the opposite boulevard median The stone marker and planting are mostly seen from the street or sidewalk. Increasing the scale of planting framing the marker could give it more visual presence in proportion to the very broad intersection. Left: Memorial from rear

Spring-Summer

Plant Species Low shrubs, perennials, and annual flowers leave little visible plant life in the cold season. Expanded planting can focus on evergreen shrubs and ornamental grasses with seasonal interest. A combination of fall-blooming and vernal witch hazel provides greater height and volume as a backdrop to the memorial, as well as flowers as late as December and as early as February, when almost no other plant is showing signs of life. Existing plants and grasses can be interplanted with early spring bulbs, like daffodil and crocus. Little bluestem, shown right, should be mowed down just once in early March; this allows the bulbs to emerge through the shorter grass before being overtaken by the little bluestem later in the season.

Hamamelis vernalis Ozark/Vernal Witch Hazel

Schizachyrium scoparium Little Bluestem

Narcissus Spp. Daffodil, other spring bulbs

Ilex Glabra Inkberry Holly (dwarf var.)

Fall-Winter

Winter-Early Spring

OPTION 1: Less Intervention The plant bed around the memorial marker can be preserved in its current state by simply expanding the planting towards the middle of the median behind a border of dry stacked salvaged foundation stone. The exact character and dimensions of the stone border can be modified to accommodate the available quantity. This option does not require any significant excavation or transplanting.

Current condition: Existing unhealthy Kousa dogwood can be removed. Plant spring and fall witch hazel, inkberry, and little bluestem (or preferred species mix) and mulch. Plant quantities shown are (6) witch hazel; (12) inkberry; and about (34) 1-gal. little bluestem containers. Grass can also be planted as smaller plugs, though seeding in this situation is not recommended. Planting height must be concentrated towards the middle of the median to avoid obscuring street signs.

20 ft Min.

Remove sod to a curved edge about 40 feet from curb. Stack stone to define edge of new planting area.

Mound topsoil 3-5 inches to the back of the stone edge. Replacement tree planting shown.

OPTION 2: More Intervention If there is a desire to reconfigure the current plant bed, salvaged stones can be used in a slightly more permanent, formal setting as flagstone paving in a base around the marker. This requires more coordination with existing fixtures and foundations, some transplanting of existing shrubs and perennials, and more investment in materials and time. Planting character and quantity could be similar to Option 1.

Current condition: Existing unhealthy Kousa dogwood can be removed. Stones can be infilled with pea gravel or self-setting sand, without need for mortar or cement. This composition is only one of endless possible variations, and stone layout can be adapted based on quantity, soil depth, and existing fixtures. Neither option requires specialized equipment or skilled labor.

20 ft Min.

Dig 8-10” down for setting bed.

Fill setting bed about 4” with rough gravel and edge with plant barrier.

0 75’ 150’

300’

Part 2: The Landscape Network

Tank Hill South Face: Stormwater Coordination Runoff and Erosion Challenges

Plant Species Selection

Clearing, Planting, & Physical Erosion Control

With the support of the Penn State Sustainable Community Collaborative, Juniata Terrace Borough has partnered with Penn State Biological Engineering (BE) faculty Dr. Jeffrey Catchmark to address concerns with stormwater drainage. Students in Dr. Catchmark’s BE 360W: Biological Engineering Design I class, Ethan Baldwin, Alyssa Pritchard, and Justin Liu, have created a report on current conditions and a series of recommendations, based on research and meetings with Borough leadership and civil engineer, Brian Book.

A useful strategy for plant selection is to determine the native plant community that best fits the known conditions of the site. The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (www.naturalheritage.state. pa.us) catalogs ecological communities in the state and its Plant Restoration Tool (https://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/pacrtt/) helps users identify groups of naturally occurring species by location and growing conditions. The following selection of species is taken from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation (now the PA DCNR) publication, Terrestrial and Palustrine Plant Communities of Pennsylvania (Fike, 1999), for the “Side-oats gramma calcareous grassland” community, accessed through the Plant Restoration Tool.

Penn State Extension offers guidance for meadow establishment and maintenance (www.extension.psu.edu/meadows-and-prairies-wildlifefriendly-alternatives-to-lawn). A major logistical challenge is transitioning from existing lawn and weeds to more effective meadow plants. Establishing a meadow requires removal or killing of turf grass, which exposes slopes to even more severe erosion. Common erosion control tools for bare soil in construction include rolls or mats for holding soil in place and filtering sediment from runoff. Natural fiber versions of these products decompose over time and can be left in place and combined with reseeding.

The report identifies the south face of “Tank Hill,” adjacent to Community Avenue as a place where landscape-based stormwater engineering solutions could reduce sediment loads and overflowing of the borough stormwater sewer system. The recent clearing of trees from Tank Hill has created exciting opportunities for community use but appears also to have exacerbated runoff and sediment volume. Solutions to the increased runoff from Tank Hill fall into two main categories:

SIDE-OATS GRAMMA CALCAREOUS GRASSLAND SPECIES: Grasses: • Bouteloua curtipendula (side-oats gramma)

• Stabilizing soil to reduce sediment being carried downhill by rainwater

• Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)

• Capturing flow before it leaves the bottom of the slope and enters roadways and the sewer system, allowing it to infiltrate and/or evaporate.

• Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)

The BE 360W report suggests a number of physical and biological tools to accomplish these goals. Establishing beneficial plant communities on the slope should be a key component of any approach, since plants reduce water flow through evapotranspiration while stabilizing soil with their roots. Mowed turf grass provides some erosion control but is far less effective than other plants because it lacks the physical structure to detain surface water and its shallow roots do not hold soil in place as securely. Aggressive volunteer plants species like the pokeweed now found on the Tank Hill slope have more extensive roots and even some habitat value but tend to crowd out other species. Diverse, native plant communities are a more robust protection against erosion because they result in complex, interconnected root and fungal systems. They also provide habitat for beneficial animal species, including pollinators. The major constraints to establishing this kind of planting on Tank Hill are: • Very thin soils in parts of the slope • Difficulty of access for initial planting and maintenance • Competition from invasives and other aggressive species

• Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass) • Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) Small Trees and Shrubs: • Cercis canadensis (redbud) • Juniperus virginiana (red-cedar) • Ostrya virginiana (hop-hornbeam) • Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) • Rhus glabra (smooth sumac) • Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac) Perennials/Forbes: Species in this category are not included from Terrestrial and Palustrine Plant Communities because most are naturally occurring and difficult to source or propagate, though they may included in restoration seed mixes. Meadow perennials referenced earlier in this document or sourced with advise from Penn State Extension are appropriate. The Side-oats gramma calcareous grassland community is a Pennsylvania meadow type that is adapted to thin, rocky soils and a bedrock type similar to the shale and limestone underlying Tank Hill.

But manufactured products are not always needed. Salvaged logs and branches, staked perpendicular to slopes, are used in stream restoration and fire remediation projects. Often this kind of work coincides with tree clearing, making logs a readily available resource. Juniata Terrace has taken on several clearing projects recently, which would provide ample material. Pinned logs can be a tool to control erosion during new plant establishment, but can also be implemented at any time over existing grass to capture sediment. Turf can be cleared manually for meadow establishment with sod cutters and shovels or occultation (tarping during the summer to deny water and sunlight and create extremely high temperatures). Herbicides are not recommended because of the health and environmental hazards of such a broad application. If sod is manually removed, it can be piled and covered to compost on level ground nearby. After 2-3 years this material can be reused as topsoil.

Barriers (LEBs) Federal Center USDA NRCS 2012 Fact Sheet - Denver log erosion barriers (LEBs)

Building 56, Room 2604 PO Box 25426 Denver, Co 80225-0426 720-544-2810 - office www.co.nrcs.usda.gov

Contour Line

Horizontal Spacing

10’ - 30’ logs, 6” - 12” in dia.

What are log erosion barriers? When are log erosion barriers used?

FIGURE 1 - Theoretical log terracing pattern

10’ - 30’ logs, 6” - 12” in dia.

Foot Tamped Backfill

Existing Slope

What materials are needed?

How are log erosion barriers installed?

4” to 6” deep trench FIGURE 1 - Typical log & bedding detail

Burn Intensity

Slope steepness (percent)

Moderate

10 - 20% 20 - 50 % > 50%

60 30 15

Spacing (feet)

Severe How many log erosion 40 20 10

barriers are required?

TABLE - Recommended spacing for contour slope treatments

NOTE: After a fire many trees are weakened from burning around the base of the trunk. The trees can fall over or blow down without warning. Shallow rooted trees can also fall. Therefore be extremely

Diagrams left and image above from Colorado Natural Resources

Log Erosion Barriers (LEBs) are logs placed in a shallow trench on the contour to interConservation Service (USDA) Log Erosion Barriers (LEBs) fact sheet cept water running down a slope and trap sediment. This treatment may also be known (2012). application of log barriers is to prevent soil erosion following as contour log This felling, log terraces or terracettes.

forest fires but the same principles apply. The recommended spacing table is keyed to slope and severity of burning. Assume a completely barren Log erosion barriers are used on moderate or severely burned slopes ranging between similar to asoils. severeLEBs burn.are used where erosion rates have increased 20% toslope 60%,iswith erosive

significantly because of the fire and there are high values at risk downstream. The site must have enough trees of adequate size to meet treatment objectives (at least 60 trees per acre). Soils can be shallow, but not less than about 8 inches. LEBs increase infiltration, adds roughness, reduce erosion, and help retain small amounts of eroded soil on site. LEBs should be effective for a period of one to two years, providing short term protection on slopes where permanent vegetation will re-establish and provides long term erosion control. • • •

6-12 inch diameter logs, 10-30 feet long An expert sawyer and labor crew with hand tools Machines may be used for moving logs or trenching them in on 30% or flatter slopes

A contour line is marked on the slope to identify the approximate cross slope alignment. Trees along this line are felled on the upstream side of the contour line as much as possible. Stumps are left about 12” high to brace the tree. The logs are cut to a length that permits safe handling and placement for the crew, generally 10 to 30 feet. Tree limbs are removed to the extent necessary for the log to lie flat on the ground. A shallow trench (about 4 to 6 inches deep) is dug along the contour. The log is placed in the trench and seated with tamped backfill such that water flowing down the slope will not run under it. For this practice to be effective, enough trees must be felled along the contour line to create a semi continuous barrier to the movement of water down the slope, as shown in Figure 1 & 2. Depending on characteristics of the slope, somewhere between 60 and 152 trees per acre are needed for use of LEBs to be effective. Figure 1 depicts the pattern of LEBs on the slope, and Table 1 shows recommended spacing.

Note that the technique above calls for setting the logs in shallow trenches. The less labor intensive method of pinning logs on the downhill Helping Peoplebelow Help the Land side is shown in an image from the Colorado State Forest Service, USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer Colorado State University Durango Field Office.

Tank Hill North Face: Trail Connections & Views Challenges and Opportunities Outside the Juniata Terrace Historic District, one of the Borough’s greatest cultural assets is the tableau of significant sites directly opposite the north face of Tank Hill and lower slopes. The former American Viscose campus, historic rail infrastructure, and Lewistown Station—the oldest active Pennsylvania railroad structure and home of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society collections—are all within a few hundred feet of the Borough limits, but are separated by dense vegetation, a large grade change, and the rail line. The image below from the peak of Tank Hill suggests that views to the factories, Lewistown, and ridges beyond are not so much impeded by mature trees as by invasive or aggressive undergrowth and vines. Strategic removal near the top of the slope, ideally coordinated with new trailheads and restoration of beneficial understory plants, could frame long views without intensive clearing or risk of increased erosion.

Views from the Tank Hill South Face are oriented to the factory district and ridges beyond more than to Lewistown Station. The terracing of the Alliance Church area creates a pinch point between Church Property and Joint Rail Authority (JRA) property; it would be difficult to confine a trail connection across this face strictly to Borough land. Alliance Church The best view anywhere of the historic Lewistown Station is from the clearing at the end of a power line cut straddling Juniata Terrace Borough and JRA property.

Lewistown Station The footprint of the former Old Stoney/ Granville Rd from Juniata Terrace to an atgrade rail crossing provides a moderate 10% average slope, intersecting with the power line cut that leads to Lewistown Station views...

On the eastern side of the Borough, the grade difference is less severe and there are potentially good access routes from the Terrace level to the clear area directly across from Lewistown Station. The terracing around the church property creates some additional barriers, however, and formalized access to this area would likely need to be coordinated with the Joint Rail Authority (JRA), Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and First Energy.

...But about 16 vertical feet of fill at the edge of the church property interrupts the constant slope. The easiest route from the terrace is via informal trails running behind the sports field facilities.

1/64”=1’ scale model of Juniata Terrace and context

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After the removal of Old Stoney Rd, fill was added to expand level ground at Borough parking lot and school fields. Restoring the constant 10% slope of the old road for a walking trail would require some re-excavation.

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To connect from Tank Hill to the edge of the rail corridor, an elevation change of approximately 90 feet, would require 1,800 linear feet of trail at 5% slope. These dimensions are shown in this example with multiple switchbacks.

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A direct trail connection from the terminus of the existing Cherry Hill Trail to the end of the power line corridor with a clear view to the Lewistown Station would cover about 90 ft of elevation change over 1,400 linear feet, at a moderate average slope of about 6.5%. . Co R yR e lle a t Lin V h g i a t Fre nia ern h t Ju ou lk S o f r o / N er

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Establishing a trail in the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) property would require coordination with the JRA as well as Amtrak and Norfolk Southern. Many precedents and some support exists in Pennsylvania for “Rails with Trails,” trails in active rail corridors with adequate separation - though few for segments this short.

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Connecting the south face of Tank Hill to the existing power line corridor could complete a short trail circuit with a clear view to the Lewistown Station.

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Trail Circuit & Placemarkers Completing and Clarifying the Trail Circuit With recent clearing on Tank Hill along the Cherry Hill Trail in the southwest corner of the Borough, and in the low areas on the east end of the Borough, it is already possible to make a near complete circuit around the points of interest in the Juniata Terrace landscape on foot. The following interventions, which range from easy and low cost to more challenging, could transform fragmented walking trails in to a clear route highlighting key moments in the Borough’s natural landscape and history.

New Water Main Clear Right of Way The installation of a new main line by Mifflin County Municipal Authority to the water tower leaves a clear cut through the wooded north slope of Tank Hill. The average slope is about 16%, which is rugged, but usable by experienced trail walkers. Along with erosion control mats and rolls, swales have been cut across the right of way to manage stormwater. Maintaining this condition, along with seeding shade tolerant grasses and groundcovers, could be easier than cutting new trails parallel to the slope and could provide a point of departure for connecting trails across the slope face.

Old Stoney/Granville Road Trail Connection Before the construction of the Route 103 Viaduct, the main road from Lewistown to Juniata Terrace crossed the train tracks at grade and angled sharply up the slope between the school and today’s Alliance Church property. The traces of this road are still visible in the woods, though some fill appears to have been added to the former road bed, interrupting the constant 10% slope that likely existed when it was in service. Restoring the Old Stoney/ Granville Road as a trail connection to the power line cut could be a practical and culturally meaningful approach to regaining views to Lewistown Station.

Intermittent Stream Bank Trail This location is already largely clear of trees, and could provide a marked walking route to the banks of the intermittent stream downhill from Delaware Ave/Route 103, as well as east to clear views of the train tracks below the 103 Viaduct and a potential informal gathering space oriented to the former Shade Farm site farther south (E and “Shade View Park” unit, below).

Viaduct Underpass The most technically challenging of these proposed trail connections is a safe and reasonably accessible route under the Route 103 Viaduct helping to connect the upper and lower parts of the borough. It is currently possible to follow a drainage swale at the top of the slope leading down to the train tracks from the southeast, under the viaduct, and out onto the mowed green on the other side of Route 103, but the way is rough. Clearing of vegetation, fencing, and a more stable path would be needed to make this passage usable.

Around the Church Grounds The Alliance Church has been a willing partner for Borough activities such as the Community Festival, restarted in the summer of 2025. No complaints are anticipated against reasonable use of the parking lot and drive leading up to Tank Hill that falls partly on church property. Moreover, the church would likely support formalizing of walking routes and other forms of celebrating the Borough’s history and daily life and should be a partner for any such efforts.

Angled Trail Connection to Power Line Cut A single trail alignment running diagonally across the slope from the south end of the hill would accommodate a moderate average slope of 6.5%. Such a trail would need to extend into SEDA-COG

Joint Rail Authority (JRA) property and Amtrak/Norfolk Southern right of ways. The power line cut itself, currently a clear and relatively walkable sloping turf corridor, would presumably be subject to First Energy right of way restrictions, though this would not necessarily preclude a walking route. The path connecting from the ball field to the power line cut is more rugged, but could be formalized.

Rail Line Right of Way Trail Beginning at the base of the water main cut, as it enters JRA property, there is a potential route for a level trail with clear grade separation from the train tracks to connect to the power line corridor and clear views to the Lewistown Station. Closer to the power line corridor and station, the grade separation of the tracks becomes less pronounced, suggesting a possible need for fencing and/or signage.

New Connecting Trails, Parallel to Slope The potential new trail alignments shown are extensions of existing access cut at least part of the way into the woods. These alignments follow the most moderate slopes possible while still remaining parallel to the slope, but could also include switchbacks, as in the example on the previous page’s plan illustration.

Terrace Boulevard Terrace Boulevard is the core cultural landscape of the Borough, so it should be expected that residents and visitors will continue to include the boulevard as part of their walking route. Additional signage and wayfinding around the boulevard would be a way to embrace this use, while reminding residents and visitors to respect ongoing landscape improvements.

Passage under the viaduct, looking north

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Former School Building The only local example of civic architecture from Emile Perrot

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Lewistown Station The best view of the station from the clearing across the tracks

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Simple, durable placemarkers identifying these key location would be an achievable design-build project for design, recreation, landscape architecture, or related departments at Penn State or other local institutions.

Tank Hill Views across the terrace, to factories, Lewistown, and ridges

The Borough does not have the capacity to maintain large areas of highly manicured landscape—especially if Terrace Boulevard requires further investment. But identifying a small number of culturally significant locations can help define a modest network of designed landscapes that give greater meaning to the trail network and establish priorities for maintenance.

Penn State students present signage mockups in Williamsburg, PA

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Rail Overlook Well framed, elevated views of passing trains

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Park Units: Creating Identity and Cultivating Support Identity Guides Investment The idea behind identifying Juniata Terrace “Park Units” is not to commit the Borough to any additional maintenance or other investment in the landscape right away. Rather, it is a way of conceptualizing landscape improvements as part of a holistic plan, as well as a series of project areas that can be addressed individually and as time and resources allow. Creating identity around the Park Units can also reveal potential partnerships outside the Borough based on the kinds of program and character each unit would be able to support. The list below represents only one way to conceive Park Units, based on an outsider’s understanding of the Borough, though the concept could apply to any formulation of Park Units deemed appropriate by Borough leadership. Juniata Terrace currently has three designated park spaces according to Mifflin County Planning: West End Playground, East End Playground, and the so-called Juniata Terrace Playground, which surrounds East End Playground and includes the Terrace Tigers football field, a basketball court, and lawn space. Terrace Boulevard should be considered its own Park Unit, with maintenance standards meeting or exceeding those of existing parks.

“Tank Hill Park” The clear area atop Tank Hill already functions as park land for passive recreation; as part of walking routes; and for striking views back to the Terrace, the factory district, Lewistown, and beyond. As described in previous sections, these uses can be expanded and improved by building a trail network and maintaining key views from the hilltop. Other ideas considered by Borough Leadership include additional seating and a covered pavilion. Since the views from Tank Hill are a unique asset not just for Juniata Terrace residents but for those throughout the region, potential partners for planning and support could be found outside of the Borough. For example, while Mifflin County does not operate parks of its own, its 2025 Comprehensive Plan suggests a Regional Recreation Authority to provide “shared staffing and funding across municipalities.” (Mifflin County 2025: A Decade of Progress; Mifflin County Comprehensive Plan Appendix, p. 65)

“Bowl Park” “Bowl Park” is a space roughly overlapping the parcel delineated for the West End Playground. The name refers to the grassy dell sloping away from the formal play equipment in the northeast corner of the site, across from the boulevard. Regional planning documents tend to emphasize spaces for children that include imagination and nature-based play, along with traditional equipment. Bowl Park already offers these by virtue of a sloping landform, perfect for sledding, and a bordering woodland already accessible via the Cherry Hill Trail. The same qualities make this a useful gathering place for young elementary school groups, where a smaller and more contained experience of nature is preferable. Potential partners could include local schools and environmental education groups. With its extremely compressed layout, Juniata Terrace as a whole could provide field-based curricula in science, history, civics, and other subjects for a range of grade levels. In Bowl Park, advanced students and faculty could find a good testing ground for didactic signage, ongoing restoration projects, and other collaborative educational programs—easily accessible but visually separated from the aesthetically consistent historic district.

“Shade View Park” A level, grassy shelf near the banks of an intermittent stream and steps away from a row of informal parking spaces, this area is a natural spot for small family gatherings. The Borough has already done a great deal of work to clear vegetation and debris, and the earlier sections explore the idea of relocating a stock of old foundation stone as a feature of the War Memorial at the boulevard. Benches, picnic tables, and barbecues are among the relatively low-cost furnishings that could encourage this type of use. Equally important, the site can help memorialize the former home of the Shade family, whose sale of farmland made Juniata Terrace possible. The actual site is some distance across the stream course through dense woods, but creative signage could help visitors imagine the old farmhouse. Finally, this site is on the corner one of two main, marked entrances to Juniata Terrace; a simple, comfortable green space would create an immediate sense of welcome and warmth.

“Viaduct Park” Viaduct Park is a reimagining of the passive green spaces downslope from the Juniata Terrace Playground/Terrace Tigers Field as part of a larger unit with the perched, partially wooded area directly across the viaduct, which has had some recent clearing done and offers excellent views to passing trains and the river beyond. These two spaces would not immediately need to be linked with a formalized passage under the viaduct, but grouping them together as a single planning unit makes this connection easier to imagine. The wooded portion on the east side of the viaduct spans at least two drainage swales that eventually lead to an outfall into the Juniata; formalizing access to this area could foster improved stewardship of an area directly impacting the river and help address the current problem of excess litter. Like “Shade View Park” the connection to the Juniata makes this a good candidate for support from PA DCNR, the Mifflin County Conservation District, and other groups focused on improving rivers and watersheds.

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References and Resources

RECREATION AND ACCESS Regional Planning and Development Groups • Mifflin County Planning and Development Department www.mifflincountypa.gov/planning • Susquehanna Economic Development Association Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) https://seda-cog.org/ • Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Main Line Canal Greenway (Allegheny Ridge Corporation) https:// mainlinecanalgreenway.org/ • Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC), Penn State Sustainability Institute https:// sustainability.psu.edu/programs/scc/ People with Disabilities • Americans with Disabilities Act https://www.ada.gov/ • Center for Independent Living South Central PA https://cilscpa.org/ • Design with disabled people now https://www.designwithdisabledpeoplenow.com/ • Wonders within Reach: Accessible Family Adventures https://wonderswithinreach.com/ Pennsylvania Agencies • PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR), including State Parks https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/ • PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/ • PA Fish and Boat Commission, including PA Water Trails https://www.fishandboat.com/ • PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT), including Pennsylvania Bike Routes https://www.penndot.pa.gov/ Infrastructure • Joint Rail Authority (JRA) https://sedacograil.org/ • Amtrak https://www.amtrak.com/about-amtrak/amtrak-facts • Norfolk Southern https://www.norfolksouthern.com/ • First Energy https://www.firstenergycorp.com/fehome.html • Mifflin County Municipal Authority (Water) https://mifflincountyh2o.com/ • Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society https:// www.prrths.org/ • Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/

ENVIRONMENT Regional Groups • Mifflin County Conservation District https://www.mifflinccd.com/ • ClearWater Conservancy https://www.clearwaterconservancy.org/ • Penn State Sustainability Institute https://sustainability.psu.edu/ • Penn State Extension https://extension.psu.edu/ • Susquehanna River Basin Commission https://www.srbc.net/ • The Chesapeake Bay Foundation https://www.cbf.org/ Pennsylvania and National Agencies • PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/

• PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/ • PA Fish and Boat Commission https://www.fishandboat.com/ • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency https://ww.epa.gov • U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) https://www.usgs.gov/ • U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) https://www.fema.gov/

LANDSCAPE AND HORTICULTURE Plant Species Information • Missouri Botanical Garden https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center https://www.wildflower.org/plants/ • Penn State Extension https://extension.psu.edu/ • Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program https://naturalheritage.dcnr.pa.gov/ Planting and Maintenance Techniques • Penn State Extension https://extension.psu.edu/ • University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension https://arkansascrops.uada.edu/posts/fertility/tillage_radish.aspx • Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station https://sebs.rutgers.edu/njaes • University of Minnesota Extension https://extension.umn.edu/ • University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences https://ifas.ufl.edu/ • Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program: Plant Restoration Tool https://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/pacrtt/index.html Soil • Penn State Extension & Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab https://extension.psu.edu/soil-testing Soil tests for acidity and nutrients conducted for the boulevard and other Borough locations, test kits, and fees were funded by the Hamer Center for Community Design.

HISTORY AND CULTURE Indigenous Peoples • Indigenous Peoples in Pennsylvania History, Penn State University Libraries https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/IndigenousPAHistory Index of resources and information about indigenous people in Pennsylvania • Native Land Digital https://native-land.ca/ Non-profit with an interpretive online map of indigenous territories worldwide • Haudenosaunee Confederacy official website https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/ History of Haudenosaunee Confederacy and its six nations: Mohawk; Oneida; Onondaga; Cayuga; Seneca; and Tuscarora • Susquehanna National Heritage Area: Susquehannock Native Landscapes www.susquehannaheritage.org/discover-river-history/susquehannock-native-landscape/ Brief history of the Susquehannock people.

General Pennsylvania History • ExplorePAhistory.com http://explorepahistory.com/ Various records and accounts of PA history, including survey of PA Historical Markers, partnered with Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Historical Association, and others. • PA Historical & Museum Commission PA-SHARE https://share.phmc.pa.gov/ Repository of all kinds of historical documents and images related to PA. • Power Library: Pennsylvania’s Electronic Library https://powerlibrary.org/ Local and Regional History • Rick Bodenschatz, Juniata Terrace. . . A Walk Back in Time (2024) • Penn State University Libraries https://libraries.psu.edu/ • Mifflin County Historical Society https://www.mifflincountyhistory.org • The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society http://www.prrths.com/ Detailed records of from the Pennsylvania Railroad and related rail companies. Maps and Data • Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) Pennsylvania Imagery Viewer http://maps.psiee.psu.edu/ImageryNavigator/ Searchable online map interface including historical USDA aerials • USGS topoView Map Viewer https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/ Interactive viewer with historical USGS topographic maps • Mifflin County GIS https://www.mifflincountypa.gov/gis • Google Earth https://earth.google.com/web/ • Google Maps Application The Google Maps smartphone application was used to roughly geolocate features in the field.

GEOGRAPHIC DATA SOURCES Base Map Layers • Mifflin County parcel data: Mifflin County GIS • Buildings and Roads: PA DCNR PA MAP • Historical Topographic Maps: USGS via USGS topoViewer • PA County and Municipal Boundaries: PennDOT • Rivers and Streams: PA DCNR PA MAP • Roads, places, and satellite imagery for reference: Google • Satellite imagery: ESRI World Imagery Layer (Maxar; Earthstar Geographics) • Topographical contours: PA DCNR PA MAP