The City of Redmond has the opportunity to participate in the Urban Forestry Restoration Project, which is administered by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry (DNR).

The goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of urban forests to manage storm water and improve air and water quality by improving the health and functionality of trees and forested sites in urban settings.

Over the next several weeks, a Washington Conservation Corps team will remove the English Ivy, Himalayan Blackberry and English Holly from the Heron Rookery. These invasive non-native plants compete with native plants for water and nutrients and in some cases even kill trees. Many undesirable plants that grow in dense thickets also harbor rats and other vermin, creating a public safety hazard as well. Once the unwelcome plants are gone, native vegetation will be planted in their place.

These initial restoration efforts complement the 20-year forest management plant developed as part of the Green Redmond Partnership. To learn more about how to help keep the Heron Rookery healthy in the future contact Teresa Kluver, park operations supervisor, at (425) 556-2355 or tkluver@redmond.gov.

For more information about the Urban Forestry Restoration Project, visit the project online or contact Micki McNaughton at (360) 902-1637 or micki.mcnaughton@dnr.wa.gov.