Tuesday, January 17, 2012


The two alders above are probably in the most need of help in the park.   If they fall while the ivy is alive, they will spread the infection further.  I will try to get to these trees soon.  The section of forest below is actually healthy.  I couldn't see any invasive species from the trail, although there may be something lurking in there.  The health of this section is probably due to a robust colony of salal, which keeps invasive species from geting started. 
Springtime pic of salal flowers.
Salal is very tough and versatile, growing in dry to wet conditions, full sun to mostly shade.  Some people complain that it is almost impossible to kill in their yards, which makes me happy.  Even though it is tough, it can also be tough to start.  It needs that micorrhyzal association.  I have planted salal in several locations in the park, in habitat where other plants are flourishing nearby, and it has died on me.  It is a little sad, the number of plants I've inadvertently killed while trying to improve the park.  Salal does not like extreme fluctuations in moisture, and organic material in the soil and micorrhyzae can even out the moisture.  Until that association is established, you need to water it regularly, and not let it get too dry during our dry summers.  Because of this fungal association with the roots, salal does not transplant well.  You need to get the whole root, which is often eight feet long running just under the surface of the soil.  If you dig up just the roots within a foot of the plant, it will surely die.  King County hosts salvage events, where you can salvage native plants from sites scheduled for construction.  You can use these plants for restoration in local parks, or for your own yard.  I have seen acres of salal that were going to be bulldozed, but I couldn't take any home because it just wouldn't survive.  Salal is an invasive plant in England.  I would be happy to get back at them for what they've done to us with English ivy, but I don't want any plants to be invasive anywhere in the world.

Above is stone 17 with ivy and lichen on maple bark. 2 miles today.

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