Queen Anne and Magnolia News Reports on GSP work

Lawton Park gets new trees
1,000 plantings take place over the weekend

By Jessica Van Gilder

One acre might not seem like a lot, but for Seattle Green Partnership it's a stepping stone toward restoring 2,500 acres of forested parkland.

A Cascade Land Conservancy member digs in to plant a cedar seedling near Lawton Park. The worker was one of dozens at last week’s super planting session which saw 800 plants sewn and 200 trees introduced to the area. There were 20 different species of plants, including ocean spray, sword fern and salal. Of the 200 trees, species included grand firs, western red cedars and hemlocks.

As part of a partnership between the city and Cascade Land Conservancy, 800 native plants and 200 trees were planted on the steep slope of Williams Ravine in Lawton Park last week. Since 2004, Seattle Green Partnership's restored about 500 acres across the city and 40 in the Queen Anne and Magnolia neighborhoods, including portions of Discovery Park, the Queen Anne Greenbelt and Kinnear Park.

"There are a lot of reasons why restoring forested area is important," said Joanna Nelson, Green Seattle Partnership project manager. "One reason Cascade Land Conservancy is especially interested in this is we feel in addition to conserving the beauty of our region, we also need to think about our cities and make them places where people want to live."

Maintaining park forests provides various ecosystem services for Seattle too, like helping clean the air and retain storm water, in addition to being a habitat for urban wildlife. But perhaps most relevant to the average Seattleite, Nelson said, is how maintaining these green spaces gives people living in the city an experience with nature.

About 20 different species of plants, including ocean spray, sword fern and salal, were planted last week. Of the 200 trees, species included grand firs, western red cedars and hemlocks - trees that generally live the longest.

A trail wanders its way through the lush greenery near Lawton Park. One thousand plants were planted in the area last week.

"The biggest thing we're finding through restoration is we're making these parks a lot more open, approachable and safe," Nelson said. "Some of these greenbelts have been left to fend for themselves, without a lot of care, so by doing restoration we also reduce the negative activity in the parks."

For Lawton Park steward Barbara Downward, the project was extremely beneficial because the section Seattle Green Partnership focused on is too steep.

"It's amazing that it was done, and so fast. I find it incredible what a handful of people can accomplish so quickly in a park. And with the slope, as volunteers we hadn't tried to tackle it," Downward said. "It's wonderful the city has taken on that work because it is so important."

Plus, the season for planting is ripe. By spring, the new plantings in Lawton should have established firm roots and will have a higher chance of prospering since they have a couple months of winter wetness to get them going.

This section of Lawton Park has a trail that slopes from 29th Avenue West and Emerson down to 28th Avenue West, and though it's no visible on a Google map, the trail is well known in the neighborhood - especially to the students on the "walking school bus" to Lawton. This summer, Downward and Seattle Parks had to repair some of the forestry after illegal bike trails began sprouting off the main trail into the greenbelt.

And it's the dedication of volunteers like Downward that keep green spaces like Williams Ravine accessible and approachable to the public.

"Volunteers are the backbone of this program," Nelson said, "and I think people get a lot out of it too. It's very rewarding and there are a lot of great results you see right away."