piney Branch Mini-oasis
The Piney Branch Mini-Oasis is located in a southern section of Piney Branch Park, in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. The site is a highly used recreation area with a network of trails used by the community for hiking and dog walking.
Fun Fact
In prehistoric times, the creek's valley was a source of quartzite cobbles for toolmaking. In the 1890s archaeologists discovered abandoned quarries along Piney Branch that had been used to make arrowheads and other tools.
Size: 6.4 acres
Status: Maintain progress and restore new areas.
Primary issue: Invasive plants and lack of understory
Site Description
The Piney Branch Mini-Oasis has been stewarded by Conservancy staff and volunteers since 2019.
Thanks to dedicated volunteers including Weed Warriors, the original mini-oasis has been restored, and has now expanded in size to restore a larger section of forest.
Upcoming Work
Invasive Plant Removal: Volunteers, including Weed Warriors, contribute to ongoing invasive plant management, in particular for English ivy, wintercreeper, garlic mustard, and young tree of heaven.
Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR): Conservancy staff and Weed Warriors target EDRR species like Chinese hackberry, yellow archangel, and Siebold viburnum. These require more advanced removal methods, including the use of selectively applied chemical treatments to prevent these plants from becoming more established in the park.
Join us at an upcoming event to learn more about this mini-oasis and support its restoration. As events are scheduled, they will be added to the calendar below. If none are available at this time, we encourage you to view our full calendar here for more volunteer opportunities.
Restoration History
2025 Mini-Oasis Expansion: Thanks to the hard work and dedication of volunteers in this community, invasive plant management has proved successful in the original 2 acres of the mini-oasis. In 2025, the mini-oasis was expanded both east and west, allowing stewards to expand their impact and eradicate larger populations of invasive plants.
2023 Restoration Planting: In the fall of 2023, Rock Creek Conservancy volunteers planted a variety of native plants to provide benefits to wildlife, including: Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata), American holly (Ilex opaca), and redbud (Cercis canadensis).
Rock Creek Conservation Corps: Rock Creek Conservation Corps members were active at Piney Branch from 2021 to 2022, targeting English ivy, tree of heaven, Seibold’s viburnum, and other shade tolerant invasive vegetation on the steep slopes behind Ingleside Terrace.
2019 Restoration Planting: In the spring of 2019, Rock Creek Conservancy volunteers planted a variety of native plants to provide benefits to wildlife, including: spicebush (Lindera benzoin), arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and pink azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides).
2018 DOEE Community Stormwater Solutions Grant: In 2018, the community approached Rock Creek Conservancy to support a restoration program via a District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) Community Stormwater Solutions grant. In partnership with the Bancroft Elementary Parent Teacher Organization and Casey Trees, this successful grant has supported numerous restoration activities. Volunteer outings to remove invasive vines were incredibly successful and much of the upper area of the restoration zone was cleared and treated with herbicide by the National Park Service and Rock Creek Conservancy staff. Volunteers recently completed two plantings of native shrubs and forbs.
Before Restoration
During Restoration
After Restoration
