Restoration Plantings

Often due to some type of human disturbance, many areas in Pierce County experience degraded habitat, which can have negative impacts on animals such as salmon, and other plant and animal species that depend on critical areas like streambanks, wetlands, prairies, and south Sound lowland forests. In cooperation with private landowners, local governments, and partner organizations, the Pierce Conservation District works to restore and enhance local habitats, usually through the removal of non-native and/or invasive weeds, and the establishment of native trees and shrubs.

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In many cases, native plants such as Douglas fir, western red cedar, vine maple, and a diverse array of understory shrubs and ground covers have been removed, allowing common offenders like blackberries, knotweed, scotch broom, English ivy, and reed canary grass to take over. These species often create a monoculture, reducing diversity, preventing native plants to germinate, providing little to no wildlife value, and sometimes contributing to erosion or depletion of soil nutrients.