Second Pickup

We are now on our second pickup load of seedlings for the riparian zone along the river. We have been concentrating on the four areas where Mike had used the bulldozer to eradicate (if only for a short time until they start growing again) those huge patches of invasive blackberries have now been replanted with a mixture of willow, cedar, white fir, hemlock and a few of other species that like ‘wet feet’. That means these seedlings are close enough to the river that and surface water to have moist ground all year long and sometimes may be underwater during flooding or prolonged rainy spells.

The rest of this load of mostly Douglas fir with a few other varieties prefer not to be in the wettest areas and they will be planted around the established alder trees that are nearing the end of their natural life span and on those higher banks of the river. The sandy soil drains quickly in these areas and their root will not stay submerged for extended periods.

With the last pickup load I had both Mike and Marilyn as full time helpers. Mike packed the trees into the area to be planting while Marilyn and I had to hustle to keep up with the flow of seedlings headed our way.

Sometimes during our planting sessions, the weather makes for difficult planting. Mud oozes around each shovelful and helpers are easily discouraged.

We were fortunate for this current load because we had helpers that came from farther away. It was a wonderful treat to get to visit with friends while we are digging and planting, with the sun shining on a glorious fall day.

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