August 19th Work Party

Another month and another work party.  Thanks to all the volunteers that showed up to pull himalayan blackberry (R. armeniacus) from the site.  Also I great big thanks to the City of SeaTac Parks Department for giving us a head start by mowing a large part of the site!

The mowing allowed us to get right to digging out the root balls, and laying some cardboard and mulch.  Stewards were also onsite doing some herbicide treatments on the English holly, Cherry laurel, and Black locust stumps.  Frilling was done on the stumps of these species to prevent further new growth from spawning from the stump and near by soil.

Two volunteers clearing root balls

All told we were able to treat over twenty stumps and clear/mulch 400 square feet.

Cleared and mulched area

Hoping for even more volunteers to help finish up the last of the clearing so that we can get to the fun part and begin planting this October.  If you, or anyone you know, wants to volunteer your time please contact the Stewards at seatacstewards@gmail.com. We will be having another work party on September 20th at 9 AM.

Picking Plants for Restoration Part 3: History

Ever wonder why certain plants are used in restoration work and not others?

Many factors are looked at when picking plants for any project; what kind of soil, how wet the soil stays during the year, and what plants are already thriving on the site.

This post will cover how what is already at a restoration site, or what historically was there, can help determine what plants will be included in a restoration plan.

When taking inventory of a restoration site a site map will be compiled to inventory what plants are already present on the site.  Much like the one below that was composed when work first began at North SeaTac Park.

By looking at this inventory we can see what kind of mature plants are growing on the site and if any of them are natives.  If there are natives plants growing on the site we can identify other natives plants that are known to grow with those already on the site, or are known to like similar growing conditions.  The image above lists native plants already found on the site: Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, Snowberry, Indian Plum, and Sword fern.  These species give us clues that will allow us to pick other species that might do well on the site.  

When a site has no plants, or where native are not present, planners can research what historically grew on the site.  By using historic documents from Native American interviews or settler accounts planners can reconstruct the native plant community that previously existed.

Picking Plants for Restoration Part 2: Wetness

Ever wonder why certain plants are used in restoration work and not others?

Many factors are looked at when picking plants for any project; what kind of soil, how wet the soil stays during the year, and what plants are already thriving on the site.

This post will look at how the wetness of a site helps determine what plants are used in restoration.

It is one thing to know how well soil will hold or drain water around a plant, it is another thing to know when to expect the water and how much will come.  In the Pacific Northwest we receive a large quantity of our water from the Fall through Spring.  Summer can be downright parched.  For this reason it is good to know what a restoration site looks like all year round before determining what plants to include.

Some restoration sites may retain water year round and others, like North SeaTac Park, may be moist during the winter but dry during the summer.  These differing levels of moisture through the year are caused by a combination of rainfall and soil composition.  Knowing the moisture profile of the site allows planners to determine if they need drought resistant or aquatic plants for their restoration.  In some cases a mixture of both may be needed.

Another factor to consider is how the tree canopy might affect the amount of rainfall actually hitting the ground. A dense canopy could mean little to no rain reaches the understory. We soon realized this might be the case at some portions of our site at North Seatac Park because even in rain some areas could stay relatively dry. If this is a really big concern, manually watering plantings should be considered. Fortunately, for us in the Pacific Northwest even in the dry years we still get downpours in the winter that get passed the canopy and give our plants a good drink!

Knowing the moisture level of a site all year round also determines the best times to plant.  Planting in late Autumn and early Winter, when plants are hibernating and will be exposed to large amounts water, is the best way to give plants the best start at a new location.  This keeps the plants from being too damaged from transplanting and also exposes the roots to water for a long time allowing them to establish before the Summer heat arrives.  Ideally the plants would be watered through the first, and possibly second, Summer to help further establish the roots and increase the likelihood of survival However sometimes it is not possible to manually water a restoration due to size,location, or resources.  This means choosing plants that are best suited to the sites conditions is extremely important to the success of the restoration project.

Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

Common Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus, also know in some parts as waxberry, is a plant that dominates the Northern half of our restoration site.  As you walk the U shaped foot path you will notice a large thicket of green opposite 2-5 cm long oval leaves.  That, my friend, is Snowberry.  The leaf edges can be either smooth or wavy toothed.  The stems can be yellowy green to green.  On the more mature parts of the plant the stems can also be brownish and slightly woody looking.

From the end of June through the beginning of August the Snowberry will start to bloom with clusters of small upside down urn shaped flowers.  The flowers can range from all white to white with some pink to fully pink on the end of the branches.  The flowers are popular with bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

The flowers will fall off in the Fall and 6-15 mm white berries will appear.  These berries are poisonous to humans, but a great winter treat for local song birds.

http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/Handler.ashx?Size=M&ImageID=876

Snowberry spreads through rhizomatous, which are underground masses of roots and shoots from a main stalk or node, and seeds.  Through the expansion of rhizomatous the Snowberry is able to form the massive thicket that you see on the restoration site.

If you are looking to make a hedge or need to fill a blank area in your yard Snowberry can be a great fit.  It is easily managed and can be pruned.  It also provides food and habitat for native fauna, which makes it perfect for attracting beneficial insects and birds to you yard.  You can acquire this plant at many nurseries in the area.  Snowberry can be planted in full to partial sun.  It will grow most vigorously in partial sun.  As with any new planting, you will want to make sure to keep it well watered for the first year while it's roots are establishing in the new soil.  Once you have one plant established on your property you can using cuttings to do live staking, or you can dig up the little suckers that grow off the main plant for transplanting in other areas.  Live staking and transplanting should both be done in the Winter months, while the plant is hibernating, and there is plenty of rain in the Spring for the roots to get established.

Picking Plants for Restoration Part 1: What the Dirt Says

Ever wonder why certain plants are used in restoration work and not others?

Many factors are looked at when picking plants for any project; what kind of soil, how wet the soil stays during the year, and what plants are already thriving on the site.

This post looks at what the soil will tell us about the plants that should be included in our restoration.

Soil, or dirt, is very special stuff.  To call it dirt does soil a great injustice.  Gardeners know that soil is the basis for any good garden.  Soil is a collection of a variety of granular material, minerals, micro-organisms, decomposing organic matter, and can have a wide pH range.  Knowing what the soil is like is incredibly important for determining what kind of plants will do well on a site.  

To figure out the composition of the soil you can look at how it feels.  When you "feel" the soil what you are actually doing is evaluating the soil texture and structure.  Soil can be described as being sandy, gritty, or clumpy.  In restoration we take these descriptions a step further and determine what percentage of silt, sand, and clay.  We also look at the structure of the soil, is it granular, single grain, rocky, prismatic.  By figuring out the texture and structure we can determine factors like how well the soil drains water, and how nutrient rich the soil might be.  

It is useful to note that water drainage can also be affected by the soil being compacted by development or heavy use.  If compaction is an issue then the soil would have to be loosened before restoration activities could begin.

Micro-organisms in the soil are another factor in determining what plants should be planted.  Some native plants require symbiotic fungus, mycorrhizae, to flourish.  Some plants that require, or do best with mycorrhizae include: Red Huckleberry, and Western Red Cedar.  

Organic matter in the soil also affects the pH, which dictates what kind of plants can be used.  Many native plants love acidic soil.  Other natives don't fair as well because they may have evolved in prairie, or water heavy areas.  pH can also let stewards know if fixing the soil is in order if the pH of the area is extremely basic or acidic.  Fixing the soil, or amending it, can be accomplished through mixing in compost, mulch, or special soil treatments.  Knowing the pH can make a huge difference in the success or failure of a planting plan.

Carbon to nitrogen ratio can be important not only for picking out plants, but also could be used to determine if a restoration site has been disturbed too greatly to be planted without amending the soil first.  By increasing organic material, like compost or mulch, at a site the carbon nitrogen ratio can be adjusted to make a site hospitable to plants after a severe disturbance.

August 23rd Work Party

Event: Blackberry Removal at North SeaTac Park

Date: August 23rd

Time: 9:30 AM to 1 PM

Address: 2000 S 136th St SeaTac, WA 98168

Washington Native Plant Society Stewards, in Partnership with the City of SeaTac, are holding a volunteer event at the Southern end of North SeaTac Park.  This event’s focus is on planting native plants, pulling some invasive weeds, and laying mulch.  

Tools and refreshments will be provided. Please dress for the weather and bring gloves.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact the North SeaTac Stewards at seatacstewards@gmail.com.

Follow the restoration’s progress at: northseatacparkrestoration.blogspot.com

Like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/NorthSeaTacParkRestoration

May 16th Work Party

A big thank you to all the volunteers that came on the 16th to help with the work party.  We were able to clear 400 sq feet of weeds and mulched another 200 sq ft.  A good day of work.  Posted below are some pictures of the clearing and some of the blooming shrubs.  There are currently wild rose and Serviceberry, also known as Saskatoon, are all blooming.  The next few posts that will be made on the blog will cover some of the plants used in the restoration.

Urban Forest Stewardship Award

On November 12th of 2014 the North SeaTac Park restoration project received an award for Urban restoration from the Washington Community Forestry.  This was great exposure for our project and the Stewards would like to thank all the volunteers that have made our project such a success.  Special thanks to the students from Highline Big Picture High School in Burien.

Below are some pictures of the award ceremony.