Field Notes 2026: Restoring Nature in an Industrial Landmark

Written by Whitney Pierrot, Invasive Species Management Assistant

Touring the Friends of Silo City’s native plant nursery.

Restoring Nature in an Industrial Landmark: Invasive Species Management at Silo City

On May 26 and 27th, the WNY PRISM Crew completed a targeted herbicide treatment in a small field at Silo City in Buffalo, New York. While the site is best known for its grain elevators and industrial history, it is also becoming an important space for ecological restoration.

Situated along the north shore of the Buffalo River, Silo City was once a hub of Buffalo’s booming grain industry. Its location provided access to both shipping traffic on the river and the region’s rail network, allowing grain to be transported across the country and around the world. The site is made up of three historic grain elevators: Perot, built in 1907; Marine A, built in 1925; and Lake & Rail, built in 1927. Although these structures operated for decades, the last grain elevator was decommissioned in 2017, after nearly a century of industrial use.

Today, the site is stewarded by Friends of Silo City, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving this historic landmark while fostering both ecological restoration and the creative arts. Through their stewardship, Silo City has become a place where history, culture and nature are combined. The organization hosts concerts, performances, art installations, educational programming and other community events while also working to restore native habitat throughout the property.

Standing along the Buffalo River, discussing the potential for plant restoration along the bank.

Walking through the landscape is a reminder of nature’s resilience. Among aging concrete, steel and abandoned rail infrastructure, a surprising diversity of native plants has established itself. During our visit, we observed species including gooseberry, wild columbine, jewelweed, purple-flowering raspberry, false indigo, hackberry, Indian plantain, mountain mint and pineapple weed. Seeing these native species thriving in a landscape once dominated by heavy industry is a powerful example of ecological succession and the ability of nature to reclaim disturbed environments.

This row of wild columbine was growing in the cracks of the payment between the Perot grain elevator and the Perot malt house.

Unfortunately, many invasive plants are equally well-adapted to these conditions. Disturbed sites often provide ideal opportunities for invasive species to establish and spread, allowing them to outcompete native vegetation before healthy plant communities have a chance to recover. During this project, the WNY PRISM Crew treated populations of invasive plants, including mugwort, Canada thistle, teasel and burdock, using foliar applications, a method that involves spraying herbicide directly onto the leaves of target plants.

The Crew using backpack sprayers to apply herbicide to invasive plants.

Friends of Silo City goes a step further in its restoration efforts by operating an on-site native plant nursery. Seeds are collected from local plant populations to preserve the regional ecotype of western New York’s native plant communities. The nursery propagates a variety of native species, including black chokeberry, wild columbine, red-osier dogwood, eastern white pine and several aquatic plants, which are then used throughout Silo City and supplied to other local restoration projects. Growing locally sourced native plants allows Friends of Silo City to support biodiversity both on-site and across the region.

WNY PRISM staff touring the native plant nursery.

Projects like this demonstrate that conservation can happen in unexpected places. Silo City is not only an iconic piece of Buffalo’s industrial history, but also a great example of how post-industrial landscapes can support biodiversity while continuing to serve the community. WNY PRISM is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Friends of Silo City to help preserve both the ecological and cultural significance of such a unique property.