Trails, rain gardens, play spaces and parks across the region.

Eight projects written up by Landforce, from the Emerald Trail Corps years on Mount Washington to rain gardens in Homewood. Photographs are from Landforce’s own project write-ups; the Phipps HomeGrown photo is from our general library.

Tell us about your projectTestimonials
A crew member in a yellow hard hat rakes a shaded hillside trail
The Mt. Washington CDC crew in hard hats gathers beside a finished section of trail at Bear Run, a log-lined path through bare spring woods

Bear Run

Client: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC)

Goal: Extensively reroute trail approximately 3 miles from the trailhead within Bear Run State Park.

In 2013 WPC approached the Emerald Trail Corps, Landforce’s predecessor, to reroute a trail in Bear Run Nature Reserve. Eight crew members were housed in a cabin on the park grounds for a week. At the work site the crew moved massive rocks to reinforce a chronically wet section of trail and created a dry crossing over several active springs, armed only with hand tools. The work let WPC finish ahead of schedule, so the crew moved on to a second site in the park.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org
The finished Clairton play space: red and blue picnic tables on a mulched area edged in black, colourful play features and a neighbourhood lawn behind

Clairton Play Spaces

Client: GTECH Strategies

Goal: Create interactive play areas from formerly unused and vacant lots in Clairton.

A 105-square-foot garden area was created, six interactive play features were installed along with a gravel pathway, a 70-foot span of fence and four picnic tables. The vacant-lot improvement created a gathering spot for neighborhood use that encourages relaxation and play, engaging the eye as well as the spirit through its colorful presentation and inviting atmosphere.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org
Two crew members in hard hats kneel on a woodland trail at Crouse Run, fastening the timber frame of a new bog bridge

Crouse Run Nature Reserve

Client: Pine Creek Land Conservation Trust

Goal: Remove and replace an 80-foot bog bridge, rehabilitate degraded trails and construct a new trail.

Landforce crews constructed 1,400 feet of new trail, rehabilitated and maintained another 2,000 feet of existing trail, demolished a rotted-out bog bridge and built a new one, all in eight days. The project also involved removing invasive weeds and downed trees and some tree pruning. The reserve now has a complete trail traversing the perimeter of the property, passing the remaining foundation of the former Wildwood streetcar station; the new bog bridge spans a wetland that feeds Crouse Run, a tributary of Pine Creek.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org
Six crew members and partners stand together on a hillside in bare winter woods at Dead Man’s Hollow

Dead Man’s Hollow

Client: Allegheny Land Trust (ALT)

Goal: Complete trail construction and maintenance outlined in a master trail plan created by Pashek Associates.

Operating as the MWCDC’s Emerald Trail Corps, the crew followed the master plan to build close to 1.25 miles of new trail across the rolling hillsides that border the Youghiogheny River, repaired two bridges and carried out several reroutes and rebuilds, bringing the existing trails up to the standard of the new ones and creating a succinct loop. A major challenge was closing off old shortcut trails, solved by restructuring the user experience with downed trees and other natural materials. Before the three-week project ended, dog walkers and mountain bikers were already eager to use the finished trails.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org
The Emerald Trail Corps in blue shirts and yellow hard hats on a Mount Washington overlook, downtown Pittsburgh behind them

Emerald View Park

Client: Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC)

Goal: Start implementing a 20-mile trail plan created by the MWCDC and Environmental Planning and Design in 2010.

Emerald View Park is Pittsburgh’s newest regional park: 257 acres previously cleared of trees, mined and used as an illegal dump. Operating as the Emerald Trail Corps, the crew’s first project was a mile-long trail on Mount Washington’s steep slopes, built by a small group of committed crew members at a time when most people thought the park initiative was a pipe dream. That first trail was the proof that Emerald View Park could become a valued community asset. To date, crews have built 8 miles of trails, removed dumped garbage weighing hundreds of tons and planted hundreds of trees in the park.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org
The crew sits and stands on the steps beside the newly planted Homewood North rain garden, a single-storey brick building behind

Homewood North Rain Garden

Client: Storm Works (Nine Mile Run Watershed Association) and the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

Goal: Create a rain garden to capture stormwater from the Housing Authority site.

Landforce manually excavated a 200-square-foot area, connected the site’s downspouts to the rain garden, and planted three trees, 15 shrubs and 78 perennial flowers. Storm Works anticipates that more than 42,000 gallons of stormwater will be captured and diverted from storm drains by this green infrastructure feature, which sits at the highest point in Homewood. Residents benefit from the diverted stormwater and from the trees, shrubs and colorful perennials.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org
A crew member works among dense green foliage (generic photo, not this project)

Phipps HomeGrown

Client: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Goal: Construct and install new raised garden beds and expand existing beds.

Ten garden beds were installed or expanded, including soil, compost, mulch and weed-blocking fabric. Landforce assisted Phipps with its goal of increasing access to fresh produce through home gardening by assembling and installing raised garden beds in the Homewood neighborhood.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org
Two crew members in yellow hard hats saw through a fallen tree lying across a wooded slope

South Side Park

Client: South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSNA)

Goal: Improve the quality and connectivity of South Side Park’s deteriorating and fragmented trails.

Operating as the MWCDC’s Emerald Trail Corps, the crew was approached by the SSNA in 2014 to fix a deteriorating and fragmented trail system so community members could traverse the hillside for both transportation and recreation. Working with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the Student Conservation Association, the enlarged crew rehabilitated overgrown trails, created new sustainable trails connecting the north of the park to its southern and western ends, removed several illegal dumpsites, cleared hundreds of invasive vines and rerouted trails away from chronically wet and sensitive areas.

Original write-up on landforcepgh.org

Other sites where crews have worked include Hazelwood Green, the Hazelwood Greenway, the Polish Hill trail, the Brandt Trail in McCandless and Hartwood Acres. In 2025 crews worked at 55 sites for 23 contract partners.

Your site could be next.

Parks, land trusts, municipalities, authorities and developers all hire Landforce crews. Crews are generally available May through November.

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