Congratulations to the Green Seattle Partnership for planting over 250 native trees and shrubs in the Kingfisher segment of Seattle’s Thornton Creek Natural Area in North Seattle. All plants were installed by volunteers over four weekends in December. Volunteers included high school students, retirees, and members from The Watershed Company.
Since much of the planted area is dominated by aging deciduous trees, a focus was made on planting conifers beneath the existing canopy. Beyond the planting effort, volunteers pulled invasive English ivy and removed trash and debris. Great to see the community come together for a legacy project that is sure to last generations into the future.
One really cool technique is planting western hemlocks atop legacy cedar stumps from the logging era. Hemlocks specialize in establishing on rotten stumps and it is something rarely seen in planted areas.
Check out the new plants and the wonderful trails showcasing a fairly in-tact forest in the city. Trailheads can be found in several locations:
The Watershed Company’s own President and Senior Ecologist, Hugh Mortensen, getting his hands dirty at a recent volunteer restoration event with Seattle Green Partnership.
