Marymoor Park Reed Canary Grass Pilot
By Jeremy Lucas
Jeremy Lucas, Conservation Chair of Eastside Audubon
As most of you are aware, invasive species can wreak havoc on native ecological communities. Without any natural controls such as browsers, predators, or competitors for resources, invasive species can spread rapidly. Many have often been shown to decrease localized biodiversity by outcompeting species that other wildlife have come to rely on.
In Marymoor Park, Eastside Audubon has undertaken an effort to restore and maintain much of the natural areas used by walkers and birders alike. We focus on planting native shrubs that benefit birds that use the park and removing invasive trees and shrubs that might be a detriment. If you walk around areas like “Snag Row” or the “Living Fence” you can see our plantings of Oregon Grape, Nootka Rose, and Salmon Berry, just to name a few. Additionally, we are working on removing invasive plants like Scotch Broom and English Hawthorn from The Meadow as well as Himalayan Blackberry from Snag Row.
Most of that work involves some form of manual removal such as cutting or digging up roots. Starting in November, we are adding a new invasive to our list of removal, Reed Canary Grass. Reed Canary Grass is a tall non-native grass that thrives in wet areas including wetlands, streams, and ditches. It spreads via seeds and rhizomes, similarly to knotweed. Reed Canary Grass has been shown to decrease overall flora abundance in areas of infestation.
Research suggests that an effective way of controlling Reed Canary Grass is with the use of live willow stakes. Rather than manually removing or controlling the Reed Canary Grass, we will be harvesting willow stakes from one area of the park and planting them in a patch of grass across the paved walkway from the Eastside Audubon shed. As of writing this note, the plan is to harvest around 500 willow stakes for our November work party and plant them in December. Though there is evidence to suggest this approach works, this will be a first time project for Eastside Audubon, and one that the project leaders for the Marymoor Restoration effort are excited to track!
See the below map for the general area where we will be working as well as some pictures of what the site looks like today. If you have any questions, reach out to us!
Cover photo credit by Philip Goddard.