Zoo News: Years of work opens door to more unique plants in M&T Bank Rainforest Falls
By Adam Gorski
After a long, strenuous process, the Buffalo Zoo’s grounds team has reached a notable milestone on its work inside M&T Bank Rainforest Falls.
After three years of foliage and branch removal up in the exhibit’s canopy, the work has finally been completed, allowing them to move forward with plans to add more unique and eye-catching plant species throughout the habitat.
The work started with a task many homeowners have likely faced: trimming back trees that were in close proximity to the roof of the vast, indoor rainforest exhibit. However, this sort of landscaping work is not as easy as it sounds.
Due to limited access to the exhibit’s roof combined with tight quarters and the need to be mindful of animals, setting up lifts and similar equipment to access the high trees was difficult — thus leading to the long work timeline.
Now, work can start to trim and prune the canopy fresh. This makes for improved branching for animals inside M&T Bank Rainforest Falls, no more concerns over infrastructural damage from greenery and better access for future landscaping projects.
The next step in the process has already begun with the introduction of epiphytes, which are non-parasitic plants that grow on the surface of other plants, around the rainforest. These plants are continuing to get bigger and spread, and in the future will become more visible on light poles in the exhibit as well as on the rock wall surrounding the waterfall, to name a few places.
More plants like bromeliads, philodendrons and other carnivorous species are all planned to be added to the rainforest in the future, giving the grounds crew the chance to be more creative with the kinds of nature that dots the exhibit. Plant donations from nurseries and aficionados around Western New York have also been a major boost for the project.
While there’s still work to be done, the hard part being over is a relief to the grounds team as they now begin the next, more enjoyable, step. Having the ability to start fresh will help create a more green and unique plant-filled environment not just for visitors to enjoy, but for animals to thrive in.
