Category Overview
The State Lands Restoration and Enhancement category provides funding to two state agencies to help repair damaged plant and animal habitat. These grants focus on resource preservation and protection of public lands. Projects in this category help bring important natural areas and resources back to their original functions by improving the self sustaining and ecological functionality of sites.
Project Highlights
The Department of Natural Resources successfully implemented this project to restore lowland, western Washington forest communities, helping support a variety of species that use these and other adjacent habitats. The project, conducted at Dabob Bay Natural Area and Schumacher Creek Natural Area Preserve, included 299 acres of ecological thinning to restore the successional trajectory of young, planted forest stands providing more open conditions for understory vegetation to diversify and increase and accelerated development of large trees, snags, and down wood into the future. Two different types of thinning were implemented: variable density thinning in the youngest stands (< 25 yrs old) and gap creation thinning in somewhat older stands (30-40 yrs old). Variable density thinning promoted more variable spacing of trees, generally retaining the larger individuals as well as the most desirable or under-represented species (e.g. western red cedar, western hemlock). Gap creation thinning involved thinning around selected individual trees or small groups of trees (typically largest diameter/dominants) to create gaps that replicate natural gap conditions in these stands. thinning prescriptions were based on stand data collected in each unit and desirable target conditions derived from published and unpublished descriptions of similar projects and consultation with other experts. In order to increase diversity, trees and shrubs focusing on under-represented species were planted within the thinned stands. Younger stands involving variable-density thinning were planted prior to thinning to avoid issues accessing them after thinning had been completed. In the gap creation stands, trees and shrubs were planted into and around the gaps after thinning was completed. A total of 6,600 trees and shrubs were planted over the 299 acres of total thinning area. Species include grand fir, western hemlock, bigleaf maple, Douglas hawthorn, cascara, Pacific crabapple, Indian plum, bitter cherry, Pacific rhododendron, and bitter cherry. 300 acres of invasive plant control were also conducted under this project, primarily targeting English holly which is a significant threat to the understory composition and structure of these lowland forests. Other invasive plants treated included English ivy, Scot's broom, and Himalayan blackberry. Invasive plant control was focused in thinning units and adjacent areas. Invasive plant control and tree/shrub planting were conducted by a combination of DNR staff and the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group via a cooperative agreement. Tribal outreach was conducted and coordination with DNR cultural resource staff and included field monitoring of planting efforts.