Pinchot - Barn Pool

Decades ago a vernal pool formed in this old barn foundation, and local vernal pool frogs and salamanders eventually discovered it and began using it as a breeding pool.  Prior to a wetland restoration project, there were steep four-foot high soil banks on all sides. During restoration of this pool in 2016, the bank on the west side of the pool was removed and a gentle slope was created to transition from the wetland into an adjacent small meadow.   

Photos submitted to Chronolog help us document how this wetland continues to change over time. The Emerald Ash Borer arrived in York County in 2015 and over the course of five years killed most of the mature ash trees in the park. There were many ash trees in the woods around this pool. Now that they are dead standing snags or fallen trees, a lot more light makes it through the forest floor, which encourages more plants and algae to grow in the pool basin. Learn more about seasonal wetlands at Vernal Pools of Pennsylvania , and learn more about wetland restoration in this Vernal Pool Webinar.