HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-03 Urban Forestry Restoration Project: Washington Department of Natural Resources r7l WM W
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Urban Forestry Restoration Project: Helping our trees help us
The Urban Forestry Restoration Project, administered by the Washington State Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) Urban and Community Forestry Program, is an exciting opportunity to
enhance the capacity of urban forests to manage stormwater and improve air and water quality
by improving the health and functionality of trees and forested sites in urban settings. For a
second year we have an opportunity to participate in this program here in Port Townsend.
A Puget SoundCorps team will work with City staff and volunteers in February 2016 to remove
English Ivy and English Holly from Bishop Park; and Spurge Laurel, English Ivy, English Holly
and Scot's Broom from the forested uplands of Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park. These invasive
non-native plants prevent forested areas from providing our community and wildlife with the full
benefits and services of healthy forests by challenging native plant species for resources, and in
some cases even killing trees. .
"Port Townsend's urban forests are negatively impacted by invasive species that compete
for sunlight, nutrients, water and space. Invasive species lack natural biological controls to
prevent their spread. Suppression of exotic and invasive species should be a priority in any
urban forestry management plan. The restoration efforts of the Puget SoundCorps team in
two of our urban forests, Bishop Park and Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park, provide a
necessary step toward acheiving this goal."[Jason D. Cecil, ISA Certified Arborist
PN7575A and Port Townsend Parks, Recreation and Trees Advisory Board member]
As a part of the process, volunteers will develop three-year monitoring and maintenance plans
to follow the Puget SoundCorps efforts. To learn more about how you can help as a volunteer to
keep Bishop Park, Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park, and all our other urban forests healthy in the
future, contact Alex Wisniewski, Port Townsend Parks and Facilities Manager
(awisniewski(a-)_cityofpt.us).
For more information about the Urban Forestry Restoration Project, visit the Project online or
contact Micki McNaughton at (360) 902-1637 or micki.mcnaughton(a-dnr.wa.gov. DNR's Urban
and Community Forestry Program is made possible through a partnership with the USDA Forest
Service. Puget SoundCorps is part of the broader Washington Conservation Corps program
administered by Washington Dept. of Ecology. Puget SoundCorps crews work on projects that
help restore and protect water quality in Puget Sound. The Washington Conservation Corps is
supported through grant funding and Education Awards provided by AmeriCorps.
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