Field News Recap- March 2024
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Oregon:
This month, Northwest Youth Corps’ (NYC) newest program, the Urban Community Forestry (UCF) program, has worked long days cutting, hauling and chipping debris left over from the devastating ice storm that hit Eugene and the lower McKenzie River Valley from January 13th-17th. Their worksites have included many local parks in Eugene and Springfield as well as residential areas that were hit particularly hard. Many of these community parks and recreation spaces have been closed off to the public do to the dangerous scattered debris. Though this storm clean up can be monotonous and grueling work, the crews have kept after it, often returning to NYC’s headquarters at the end of a long day tired but propped up by enormous gratitude from the community.
One UCF crew was assigned to assist with park cleanup efforts at the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum and Howard Buford Recreation Area. With help from local volunteers and Mt. Pisgah staff, these parks were able to reopen March 15th. Members of the public were thrilled to see the parks reopened, and their enthusiasm helped to keep the crew’s morale high as they cleaned up the final section of the parking lot. Most of the work was chipping debris piles, but UCF crews also cleared several trails and removed debris from the iconic Swing Hill loop. The gigantic oak at the center of Swing Hill is still standing strong, and is now open to the public again.
Oregon UCF crews look forward to upcoming tree planting projects around Eugene and Springfield, anticipating a delivery of around 60 trees from Willamalane Parks and Recreation. These trees will be stored and cared for by the UCF crews in NYC’s Laurel Hill Educational Farm until they are ready to be planted around town.
The Young Adult Camping Crews’ spring sessions began on March 6th with four crews launching out of Eugene. Yellow Crew went to chainsaw training to get their certifications, then worked with Willamalane to cleanup parks from January’s ice storm. Additionally, Yellow Crew cleared trails in the Cathedral Hills trail system with the Rogue River Bureau of Land Management (BLM). At the end of the month the crew worked on clearing trail corridor (the tread and surrounding area) along the Mountain of the Rouge Mountain Biking Trail with the Medford BLM.
Our other three crews completed trails training together at Cape Blanco State Park, where Orange Crew worked their first two weeks repairing tread. Orange Crew is now at the Bluebill Campground in the Siuslaw National Forest improving campsites for the upcoming recreation season.
After training, Blue Crew moved to the Cathedral Hills Trail System to improve the tread. Their next two weeks were with the Northwest Oregon BLM removing invasive plant species from Fishermen’s Bend Recreation Site.
Red Crew worked in the Horsfall Campground of the Siuslaw National Forest, replacing old fire rings and cleaning up trash. Later, the crew also worked with the Rouge River Siskiyou BLM on the Cathedral Hills Trail System.
Washington:
Our Washington UCF crews were hard at work, making a tangible difference in our environment through their involvement in several impactful projects across the state.
At Swan Creek Park in Tacoma, the crew focused on fire mitigation. By clearing out excess vegetation and debris, they created space for new tree planting. This not only enhances the park’s natural beauty but also reduces the risk of wildfires.
In Lakewood, at the South Puget Sound Wildlife Area, the crews removed invasive species to allow native grasslands to flourish. This restoration effort is crucial for maintaining biodiversity and preserving the delicate ecosystem of the area.
The crews prepared Leader Lake for the upcoming camping season by installing new fire pits and picnic tables, and brushing out campsites. These improvements not only elevate the camping experience but also promote sustainable outdoor recreation.
During week one, Blue Crew worked at the Place of Circling Waters, where they engaged in live staking of native species (taking dormant tree branches and planting them into soil directly) and removal of invasive species. Brown Crew focused on Swan Creek Park restoration for weeks one and two, where they learned about invasive species and various methods of removal and mitigation. They also had a career and conservation Q&A session with Kevin Johnson from Metro Parks Tacoma.
In week two, Blue Crew worked with project partners Port of Tacoma and EarthCorps, continuing live staking and invasives removal on Place of Circling Waters and the Clear Creek Habitat Restoration Site. Both crews toured the Washington State University Sentinel Tree Planting Facility and discussed potential future collaborations or career options for team members. The crew members also received Douglas firs to plant at home and participate in a study tracking their growth.
Blue crew returned to Clear Creek and Place of Circling Waters in week three where they continued live staking and invasive species removal. In week three, Brown Crew shifted their efforts to targeting fuels reduction for a Metro Parks restoration site. They demolished several structures on the property to prepare for the restoration and planting of native species. Blue Crew took over this project in week four.
Midweek, both crews and program staff visited the Center for Urban Waters with Urban Forest Analyst Ryan Herbert. Herbert taught them about tree canopy cover in Tacoma and a new city project to take inventory of the area trees. They trained on navigating the Tree Plotter Inventory website, inputting data and basic tree identification. For week four, Brown Crew worked on urban riparian zone restoration at the South Puget Sound Wildlife Area. They learned about endangered Northwestern pond turtles and collaborated with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to remove invasive scotch broom from protected nesting sites.
Idaho Conservation Corps:
Idaho UCF crews tackled a variety of challenges this month. Yellow Crew and Blue Crew continued working to get Nampa Forestry’s internal tree inventory software up to date by mapping and inputting more than 375 trees around Nampa’s city parks. Crews also helped clear approximately 1/2 mile of invasive Himalayan Elms. Both crews received their A Bucking and Felling USDA Forest Service Chainsaw certifications from our internal evaluator Jeff Olsen.
After certification, crews helped remove 18 dying Arborvitae trees that were planted at a historic Nampa cemetery and spent roughly 50 hours chipping tree debris. Crews will be back to assist the city with grinding old tree stumps and eventually planting a diverse row of trees to replace those removed. Additionally, with help from the Idaho Forestry Department, crews planted approximately 80 trees in a nursery to establish root systems over the next 2-5 years before being planted throughout the city.
Crews have also assisted the Idaho Fish and Game Department with planting 600 live willow stakes at two new fishing ponds to help establish a healthier ecosystem around the ponds by creating shade. Crews harvested, processed and planted the 600 stakes at Claytonia Fishing Pond and Dick Knox Fishing Pond.
Internship Programs:
Intern Mia Primrose poses in their Forest Service uniform from their New Employee Orientation training in Seaside, Oregon, for their Communications and Community Engagement Resource Assistant internship.
Hannah Adams did a training with Project Learning Tree for the Hydrologic Technician Resource Assistant internship. Hannah and the others at the training practiced a “Parts of a Tree” activity plan for students where participants were assigned a role such as “roots,” “xylem,” or “bark,” and must demonstrate how their role fits into the tree’s system.