(Plain Press September 2025) Old Brooklyn Tree Stewards and Friends of Harmody Park combined for the first Old Brooklyn Tree Walk on Saturday morning August 9^th. The event included scavenger hunts, tree talks, a demonstration of how to measure a tree’s age nondestructively, and a survey of what improvements people would like to see at the park.

     Brittney Hooper, Tree Steward Coordinator, took people on a walk down Treadway Creek Trail. She explained the history of the trail while Greg Cznadel spoke of the trees.

TREE WALK

     Treadway Trail is part of the Lower Big Creek Valley Watershed. The trail is a result of a $1.1 million dollar greenway project that was completed in 2007. Cleveland granted a conservation easement of Treadway to West Creek Conservancy to preserve its natural state. As part of the restoration project retaining walls were erected with native plants, custom benches were installed at scenic overlooks, invasive plants were replaced with wildflowers and other natives, and anti-erosion measures were enacted. 

     The trail crosses six different streams. This Treadway Creek Restoration and Trail Project became the first Cleveland connection to the nearby Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

     The public dedication ceremony for the completed Treadway Creek Greenway Restoration & Trail was May 16, 2008.

THE STORY OF THE TREES

     Greg Cznadel pointed to a Catalpa (“Indian Bean trees) at the entrance to the trail explaining “Catalpas were grown for fence posts and railroad ties. European settlers cultivated them for this purpose due to their lightweight wood and resistance to deterioration when placed in the ground.”

     People stood amazed at an old gnarled mulberry near the playground reminiscent of the Ents (protectors of trees) in Tolkien’s Middle Earth, who greatly resembled trees, but had hands, feet, and facial features. Ents. were often mistaken for sentient beings. 

     Delores, an Old Brooklyn resident, was industriously marking off the numbered trees as she identified them. As people browsed the tables, they were told the story of the naming of the Serviceberry and how to identify a pin oak by its lower branches hanging down unlike other trees whose branches grow up.

     Educational signs were posted around the park explaining what people were seeing on certain trees like the huge silver maple that looked like a Keebler Elves’ house and an ash with bark partial removed leaving trails from the Emerald Ash Borer. 

REPAIRS AND UDATES ON TRAIL

     Members of the Friends group met Jim McKnight from the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects days prior to the Tree Walk at Harmody Park. McKnight was present with several coworkers having just returned from a walk-up Treadway Trail.  He explained they were reviewing work needing to be done on the park.

     They just completed repairing broken sections of handrails along the path. The Friends group talked with McKnight about the ash trees dying from the Emerald Ash borer. McKnight agreed they needed to be removed. A plaque was placed on one tree for people to read the story of how the borer works (see picture). Also discussed was the need for lights around the playground to be fixed or replaced.

     The following week work began fixing the asphalt on the trail itself. Appropriate departments were contacted about the lights not working and fallen trees and branches.

     Barbara Caldwell, Tree Steward, Master Gardener, and member of Friends of Harmody Park explained to McKnight that the Friends group was doing surveys from people using the park. The flickering lights around the playground, fallen tree branches, fixing the kiosk that has remined unused and graffiti ridden since the opening of the trail, and obtaining new playground equipment were the most common suggestions.

SCAVENGER HUNT

     The graffiti scavenger hunt in the park was to bring attention to people the need to make this a loving, people’s park. Pictures of graffiti were laid out with spaces for numbers. People went around the park identifying where each was located: on a tree, fence sign, or picnic table. Those successfully completing the scavenger hunt received a Friskars pruning shear. Cleveland, as part of Harmody improvement plan, will be replacing signs and removing graffiti. Rebecca Maurer, City Councilwoman, told of three hundred thousand dollars city council set aside for park improvements.

     Those in attendance where then showed a nondestructive method of determining a trees age. Brittney Hooper and Greg Cznadel wrapped a clothesline around an old cottonwood sitting on top of the hillside. They determined the circumference (122 inches) and divided it by pi (3.1416) to get the diameter (40 inches) then multiplied by its growth factor (2 inches per year). This tree was near 80 years old.

     Thanks to every who attended and everyone who filled out a Harmody Park Survey. Special thanks to Katie Morrow (Cello player and instructor), Eileen Dorsey (well-known artist, murals can be seen in Old Brooklyn), Tim Werling (helps with golf at the Metro Golf Course) and the next generation Steward Sam Hooper, Brittney’s son.