North Shore Preserve Reforestation

Why: 

Forests sequester and store carbon, filter water, help retain topsoil, and sustain biodiversity. After acquiring the Preserve, the Conservation Land Bank (Land Bank) reviewed existing and potential forest cover while considering ecological values, future recreational uses and maintenance requirements. Faced with the decision to continue mowing large areas or to restore them to forest, the Land Bank chose to eliminate carbon emissions associated with mowing, save staff time and support wildlife.

Where: 

Portions of the Preserve were cleared decades ago for pasture or other uses. To prevent herbivory by deer, we enclosed part of this acreage in temporary fencing repurposed from another preserve. We’re planting areas outside of the fence with deer-tolerant shrubs such as snowberry, tall Oregon grape, Nootka rose and gooseberry.

When: 

After approval of the Land Bank’s Interim Stewardship and Management Plan, staff, contractors and volunteers planted over 13,000 trees and shrubs across roughly three acres in early 2024. In early 2025, we installed an additional 4,800 plants in remaining gaps. We will maintain the plants over the next several years and  remove the fencing in about ten years. Thanks to the inclusion of multiple flowering and fruit-bearing species, these forest and shrub areas will provide important resources for pollinators, birds and bats, and reduce the need for mowing.

What: 

Much of North Shore Preserve is forested with common conifers such as Douglas fir, Western red cedar, grand fir, and Western hemlock. Common hardwoods on site include bigleaf maple, red alder, and Douglas maple. The forest understory supports shrubs such as salal, snowberry, baldhip rose, oceanspray, and low Oregon-grape. We planted these and other native species in rows to facilitate maintenance through establishment. The full list of species planted follows:

Planting List

Acer macrophyllum – Bigleaf maple Alnus rubra – Red alder Amelanchier alnifolia – Western serviceberry Cornus sericea – Red osier dogwood Crataegus douglasii – Black hawthorn  Lonicera involucrata – Black twinberry Mahonia aquifolium – Tall Oregon grape Mahonia nervosa – Low oregon grape Malus fusca – Western crabapple Oemlaria cerasiformis – Osoberry Philadelphus lewisii – Mock orange Physocarpus capitatus – Pacific ninebark Picea sitchensis – Sitka spruce Pinus contorta v. contorta – Shorepine Populus balsamifera – Black cottonwood Prunus emarginata – Bitter cherry Pseudotsuga menziesii – Douglas fir Ribes divaricatum – Black gooseberry Rosa gymnocarpa – Baldhip rose Rosa nutkana – Nootka rose Rosa pisocarpa – Swamp rose Rubus leucodermis – Blackcap raspberry Rubus parviflorus – Thimbleberry Rubus spectabilis – Salmonberry Salix scouleriana – Scouler’s willow Sambucus racemosa – Red elderberry Spiraea douglasii – Douglas spiraea Symphoricarpos albus – Common snowberry Thuja plicata – Western red cedar Tsuga heterophylla – Western hemlock