GSP Forest Steward Jenny Dooley is leading a restoration project in the middle of the forest, on this half-acre. A small seasonal stream flows through this site. Perhaps “seeps” is a better description of water flow here.
This half-acre site has more than 600 dead fern crowns, some surviving sword ferns, and a range of healthy native species, including at least three Trillium.
A “swale” is an shallow channel with gently sloping sides – a pretty good description of this slightly descending, seasonally wet landform.
Pre-restoration status
A few dozen ferns, mostly on the site’s periphery, are currently, visibly dying as of April 2025. But most of the site’s sword ferns are stubbly brown crowns, typical of ferns dead for at least five years.
The large expanse of mostly bare ground at this site motivates this restoration project. Bare ground can be understood as a “wound in the forest”: where once there was a robust, diverse biome, there is now very little life, perhaps setting the stage for more disturbances. We wish to prevent any cascading ecological ill-effects, which can arise where biotic processes (soil, ground cover, understory) are absent.
On a rainy Saturday morning, May 17th, Jenny led a crew of ten in deep mulching some of the half-acre site. 400 native plants will arrive in November. Our thanks to the Seattle Parks crew and staff for the mulch, the plants – for their steady support.