Knowledgebase

Park Restoration Best Practices #927853

Asked April 08, 2026, 4:46 PM EDT

As you may be aware, the National Park Service (NPS) is planning restoration work in Malcolm X Park/Meridian Hill Park. As a neighbor of the park, I’m concerned about protecting the park’s natural resources and vegetation, and I’d appreciate an expert opinion on the management and restoration practices appropriate for this well-used and much-beloved landscape. NPS is removing two heritage (90-year old) white oak trees and excavating the soil on the park lawn to replace the top 6-8 inches of topsoil which have become depleted and compacted. What would be the expected scale of soil and landscape impacts from the removal of the two white oaks and the soil excavation? Additionally, are there any recommendations you would have to protect the park landscape for the future, such as replanting trees or certain other plants? Thank you in advance for the advice!

District of Columbia County District of Columbia

Expert Response

Thank you for bringing up the proposed NPS work at Malcolm X Park/Meridian Hill Park.

Master Gardeners are not trained in public lands management, and this is a complicated project so a deeper level of the process proposed would be needed to evaluate and make recommendations. Granted, it seems odd to remove heritage trees, if they are otherwise healthy,  in this age of heat island effect, rising summer temperatures and the efforts of many non-profits to INCREASE the city’s tree canopy. Has NPS presented justification to the community for removing these trees?  As to removing the soil, soils in heavily used spaces can become compacted, but removal of soil is expensive. Has NPS represented the issue of compacted soil as having had a profound negative impact on the trees? Several NPS projects in several neighborhoods have received similar questioning by residents of that neighborhood, but don’t know of an alliance of all the neighborhoods, sorry.

In case it might be applicable, Bartlett Trees conducts research and presented on this study on methods to remedy soil so severely compacted that trees growing in it were stressed and even a bit stunted, that they successfully remediated on site. https://auf.isa-arbor.com/content/early/2025/03/10/jauf.2025.012

Possible resources :

DOEE https://doee.dc.gov/release/request-applications-restoring-districts-natural-areas

https://dnr.maryland.gov/land/Documents/Stewardship/2022-LPPRP-Montgomery-County-Final.pdf

Trust for Public Lands, a non-profit, may be able to offer some advice to the community. https://www.tpl.org/state/district-of-columbia

Thank you very much for taking an interest in our shared public spaces. Please keep us posted

KatieMacDC UDC extension volunteer team

An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 09, 2026, 5:59 PM EDT

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