The de Steiguers of Vashon Island teamed up with KCD’s Rural Forestry Program to restore the native understory of their six-acre forest on Vashon’s eastern coast.
While a large portion of the forest on the de Steiguers’ home was in decent health, the northern portion had been overrun by non-native laurel and English holly. These fast-growing invasives are quick to outcompete native understory vegetation, depriving them of vital resources. Dense patches of laurel and holly had crowded out the understory of the bigleaf maple and Douglas fir stands and were contributing to poor forest health, including incursions of tree rust, affecting the health of significant stands of Evergreen Huckleberry.
They had already begun the effort to restore his forest and, with support from KCD, focused on removing the invasive understory species and replacing them with native plants. The first step in the restoration was to lightly thin the Douglas fir stand to enable more sunlight to reach the understory, reducing competition for light. The holly, laurel, and other invasives were then removed, opening space on the forest floor for natives to be planted.
Native vegetation was planted in early spring to enable the plants to establish a healthy root system and give them a head start on recolonizing the forest. Planting these native plants aids in overall forest recovery as each species re-establishes its seed bank during spring and summer, supporting new native plant growth in future seasons.
The de Steiguers’ forest recovery project was an excellent opportunity for the KCD Rural Forest Program to use many of the tools in its forestry stewardship toolbox. Assisting the de Steiguers with thinning, invasive removal, and native planting enabled them to make an important contribution to supporting the forest health of Vashon’s eastern coast.