Submitted by The City of Olympia
The Urban Forestry Restoration Project, administered by the Washington State Dept. 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. Even more exciting is our opportunity to participate in this program here in Olympia.
A Puget SoundCorps team will work with City staff starting in October to help maintain downtown street trees, plant new trees, eradicate invasive non-native vegetation and replant with native species. Site locations include Capitol Way, Grass Lake Nature Park, Evergreen Park, Harry Fain’s Legion Park, Watershed Park and Mission Creek Nature Park. Invasive non-native plants prevent forested areas from providing our community the full benefits and services of healthy forests by competing for water and nutrients, and in some cases even killing trees. Many undesirable plants that grow in dense thickets also harbor rats and other vermin, creating a public safety hazard as well. Once the unwelcome plants are gone, native vegetation will be planted in its place.
Volunteers will help maintain the restoration sites, monitoring and eradicating any new invasive threats and caring for the newly planted native vegetation. To learn more about how you can help keep City of Olympia parks healthy in the future, contact Sylvana Niehuser, Park Ranger at 360-753-8365.
For more information about the Urban Forestry Restoration Project, visit the Project online or contact Micki McNaughton at (360) 902-1637 or micki.mcnaughton@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. PSC 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.
