According to a National Park Service study, The Impacts of Rail-trails, most adjacent landowners experience a minimal loss of privacy from the establishment of a rail-trail. Generally abandoned rail corridors have a thick row of established trees and shrubs along their borders. In some cases, adjacent landowners have already taken steps to ensure privacy from trains, passengers, train crews and other former corridor users.

Our landscape architectures, Storrow & Kinsella have suggested natural plant screening using a variety of plants to make it pleasing to the eye. A few of the evergreens which make an excellent privacy screen are Taxus x media Hicksli, Ketekeeri Juniper, and White Pine. Very compact hedge plants are the Columnar Buckthorn and the Willowwood Viburnum. There are vines such as Sweet Autumn Clamatis, Trumpet Honeysuckle, and Fiveleaf Akebia which are excellent screens and their flowers add color.

We will be working with adjacent landowners to enable them to feel comfortable with the trail. A planting ceremony of trees, shrubs, and vines is a possibility. BOTA plans to be a good neighbor with this much-needed amenity for children, senior citizens, families, and other trail users.