This is our fourth summer returning to Luther Burbank Park with the Mountain to Sound Greenway Trust. It was marvelous to see how good the restoration site looked under the tall Oregon ash / Fraxinus latifolia!
After much weeding of noxious species, such as blackberry, ivy, hawthorne, bindweed and reed canary grass, the wood chips heaped on the cardboard have really worked well to smother them. Now it is a nice clear carpet with native species hanging on throughout our dry PNW summers. Continued efforts to remove noxious species will always be needed (birds will always drop blackberry and ivy seeds from berries via their droppings) but a significant plateau of sustainability has been reached in this one area.
Across the fence, the story is different. We pulled weeds out of saplings from up above our heads. Trees can easily be bent down the the ground by blackberry canes and bindweed vines. Our work will continue.
The big shoreline restoration project on the nearby quiet little swimming beach is quite lovely. The views and warm water were perfect after a morning of good work. Have a look at all the terrific events Squad has done here over the years!