Location
Red Alder Trail
Our Native Food Forest is planted on city land, in a 360m2 (18mx20m) area, adjacent to the Red Alder Trail, which is part of the Champlain Heights Trail System in South Vancouver.
Invasives
In January of 2023, the site was mainly covered by a dense thicket of invasive Himalayan blackberry and English ivy. There were also some trees on the Southern and Eastern edge of the site.
Removal
To prepare the site to become a Native Food Forest, Free the Fern organized 8 invasive pulls on the first Saturday of each month in 2023. Together, we successfully removed 14,820 L of invasive plants.
Planting
On Oct 21, 2023, 58 volunteers planted 690 native plants during our Native Food Forest Planting Event. At the site, you can now find a mix of edible native fruits/nuts, berries, and ground cover. In addition, on the western edge, there is a strip of native pollinators. While, on the southern edge, there is a hedgerow of native flowering shrubs.
Accessibility
The paved, accessible Red Alder trail runs along both the East and West of the site. To the South of the site, there is a grassy area and public playground with bench seating.