Blog Archives

Forest Microworlds

6/30/2015

Can you guess what this month's Microworlds photo is?

Dear FNCF Supporter,

We are writing today to urge you to contact your legislators and ask them to support two important conservation measures that have a direct impact on North Creek Forest and our broader community. Please email your legislators in Olympia today and request that they:

1. Retain the current WWRP allocation formula and

2. Fund the No Child Left Inside Grant Program.

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Seeking Education Interns

6/10/2015

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Are you interested in a summer internship where you can spend time with kids in North Creek Forest and have a significant impact on the growth of our education program?

We are hiring three environmental education interns to help with summer programming and to develop Forest Education Classroom Kits to be used by area teachers. Must be available on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. Stipend and college credit available. Download full position description here.

intern_job_description.pdf
File Size:	305 kb
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Weed of the Month - Himalayan Blackberry

6/5/2015

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General Information:

Himalayan blackberry is an invasive shrub in the Pacific Northwest. Originally from the Himalayan Mountains in India, it was brought to England for its delicious berries. From England, it was then brought over to the United States during the early European settlement years. Like many invasive plants, moderate weather and a lack of natural predators allow it to thrive in our region.

Himalayan blackberry has thick, angled stems with big, curved prickles on it. The compound leaves are large, grow in bunches of 5 leaflets, and almost always stay on the plant through the winter. Lastly, the leaves are darker on top than the bottom.

To remove, cut stems to 1 foot above ground, and then dig down until you find a lumped or knotted root. This is the rhizome, and it will regrow the blackberry unless completely removed from the ground. Big plants can have a rhizome the size of a sweet potato, while on smaller plants it can be the size of a bean. After removing, you can dispose of it in your yard waste cart.

Don't confuse Himalayan blackberry (five distinct leaflets - top) with native Salmonberry (lighter green, three distinct leaflets - below).

Himalayan Blackberry in North Creek Forest

Himalayan blackberry has been removed from many of our restoration sites and requires regular maintenance to control.

There is a patch located on the topside of this year’s restoration site, to the right of the information board.

It has finished flowering and is currently developing berries. They can be picked when they are squishy, but not falling apart.

Although Himalayan blackberry is invasive, we are leaving behind a patch for the neighborhood to forage, and for the bees to pollinate! This patch will need active management to keep from spreading and choking out native plants.

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Forest Microworlds

6/3/2015

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We spend a lot of time looking at and celebrating BIG things here in North Creek Forest: not just our impressive mature Douglas Firs and the huge leaves that grace our many Big Leaf Maples, but also truckloads of invasive species being hauled away, massive piles of mulch going in to the restoration sites, and our grand dreams for the Forest's future. With all of this BIG talk, we don't want to forget the many amazing SMALL details in the Forest that we see when we stop and look up close - especially with a little help from technology. Welcome to a new series of blog posts where we will feature North Creek Forest from a different point of view.

The first photo in each series is taken through a MicroMaxPlus 60x-100x LED microscope. The second photo through a Bodelin ProScope Micro Mobile 20x-80x LED microscope, and then the third, an unmagnified photo.

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Forest Microworlds

Call To Action

Seeking Education Interns

Weed of the Month - Himalayan Blackberry

Forest Microworlds

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