PORT ANGELES — A Puget SoundCorps Urban Forestry Team is in town for a month to remove invasive non-native plants.
The team is working with city staff to remove scotch broom, English ivy and Himalayan blackberry from the Olympic Discovery Trail, Valley Creek, Shane Park, Lincoln Park and other areas.
The team has been in town since Nov. 30 and will work with city staff until Dec. 30, according to Kathy Lucero, the city’s noxious weeds coordinator.
Lucero said cities can apply to the state Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program to host a crew for up to a month at a time to remove invasive species from wooded areas.
In return, she said, the city has to assure DNR that it will continue to maintain and improve the forested areas after the crew has finished its work.
Removing invasive non-native plants encourages healthy forests by reducing competition for water and nutrients, according to a DNR news release.
DNR also said many undesirable plants that grow in dense thickets can harbor rats and other vermin, creating a public safety hazard.
DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is made possible through a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
Puget SoundCorps is part of the broader Washington Conservation Corps program administered by the state Department of Ecology, and supported through grant funding and education awards provided by AmeriCorps.
