The forecast called for rain and thunderstorms today, but we woke to find it was a bright sunny day. It was perfect weather for a forest planting. Free the Fern member, Martin, thanks to funding from a Neighbourhood Small Grant and Free the Fern fundraising, organized the planting for today (September 18, 2021) near Alexander Laidlaw Co-op, along the Red Alder trail. The area had been cleared of Himalayan blackberry and lamium/yellow archangel at a previous invasive removal event.
Today we were able to plant Douglas fir saplings, Douglas maple saplings, swords ferns, dwarf oregon grape, and other native plants. It was beautiful to see a bare patch of earth restored to an area rich with native plants. Martin also moved some large logs from recently felled trees by the city, into the area to help absorb moisture and provide habitat for local bugs, which will feed the local birds. We finished the event by enjoying pizza lunch outside together. What a lovely community event!
