Are emails, endless work, bills, and the impending holidays making you feel stressed? There’s no better way to relieve tension and frustration than time in nature and burning negative energy by clipping, cutting, and sawing invasive bittersweet and porcelain berry vines. These thick vines choke and smother native trees, and their added surface area makes trees more susceptible to wind damage. Cutting vines is not only gratifying, but also a solid upper body workout, so you can even skip the gym!

• Day + Time: Saturday, November 16, 11am–2pm
• Getting There + Parking: Meet at the trail head behind the Bedford Village Fire Department (41.200424, -73.648498). There are four marked preserve parking spots at the rear of the fire department parking lot; please do not park anywhere else in the lot and use situational awareness so that all first responders can enter and exit the station and lot safely. There is additional parking at a small lot on Guard Hill Road, but it is a hike along the trail to the meeting location.
• Difficulty: Medium—suitable for ages 15 and up, or 8 and up with direct supervision from a parent or guardian; minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. We will be using loppers, hand pruners, and hand saws to cut vines which are not safe for children to handle by themselves. Minimal hiking is to be expected (about one mile total).
• Safety: We will be working mostly off trail in the woods, conditions are expected to be mostly dry and flat. There are many plants with thorns and there may be ticks and poison ivy. The best way to prevent these hazards is wearing appropriate clothing—closed-toed shoes, long pants, and long sleeves. Some tools (loppers, hand pruners, hand saws) can be dangerous and should not be used by anybody under the age of 15 without direct supervision from a parent or guardian. Please bring a water bottle. Light snacks, work gloves, and tools will be provided.
• Registration Required: Register here.

Volunteer group size is capped at 15; no drop-ins please. Because parking is extremely limited, carpooling will be available from WLT’s office at 403 Harris Road, Bedford Hills, NY beginning at 10:30am.

This event is part of our ongoing forest health initiative, which was launched to help ensure the forests you love are here for generations to come. Read the press release announcing this effort here. You can save our forests—donate here to support this work.