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| Native Plant Salvage Details: Plant Recycling for Restoration Projects Go to Native Plant Salvage Home Page Contents:
Volunteers in King County, Washington are digging up native plants from sites slated for development for use in a variety of revegetation projects. As part of a unique program initiated by King County Department of Natural Resources in 1992, the "rescued" plants are used to restore stream banks, wetlands and buffers near a variety of capital improvement and roads projects. Developers, government, and individual citizens collaborate to make the program work. So far, the Native Plant Salvage Program has successfully:
King County's program was inspired when WLR ecologist, Ruth Schaefer, took a sabbatical in the Florida Keys. The unique and fragile ecosystem of the Keys has immense plant species diversity and many rare, threatened and endangered species. Local plant society volunteers in Key West initiated a salvaging operation to save some of these plants and opened a holding facility in a local park. Ruth spent many pleasant hours salvaging and potting up the plants. Some years later, she met Irmgard Grabo, a botanist and horticulturist in Bainbridge Island, Washington, who was quietly conducting a one-woman salvage operation. Her motive was love for the plants and a desire to save them from the bulldozer. From these seeds of experience sprouted the vision of King County's now operative Native Plant Salvage Program. The goal of this article is to provide a blueprint for other jurisdictions interested in implementing a salvage program. We will discuss key logistical components of the program, salvage techniques, volunteer recruitment and coordination strategies and the costs and benefits associated with the program.
The keys to the success of the program are:
Each of these components will be discussed below. Salvage Locations. Working cooperatively with local developers is a vital and positive component of our program. To get started, a large site with current clearing permits, the property owner's permission to salvage on site, and a variety of desirable native species is needed. We secured initial sites by contacting the local building and permitting agencies to find out about sites with current clearing permits and asking the developer for permission to conduct salvage projects. Future school sites have proven ideal as they are large enough (25 to 50 acres) to provide multiple salvaging opportunities over an entire salvage season. Large developments with phased construction also work well.
A View of the Native Plant Holding Facility, showing capillary beds full of salvaged plants. Construction of capillary beds. These are used to help minimize the amount of watering of the plants. They are made of two by six treated lumber. Nail the four corners together with 16-penny nails, line the bottom with greenhouse plastic. Staple the plastic to the sides of the bed. Slit the corners to allow for drainage if necessary. Line the bottom with one to two inches of saturated mulch. You will only need to water once or twice a month because the plants can draw water from the mulch. King County started with ten of these beds and as our program has grown, the number of beds has increased to 142.
Salvaging Tools. Flat-bladed gardening spades, files, burlap bags (to hold moist mulch), and hand- clippers (for pruning stubborn roots) are the key tools for salvaging. Burlap bags are donated by a local coffee company. Wheelbarrows and "ferny gurneys" (stretchers made out of burlap sacks and bamboo poles) are used to transport the plants. At the holding facility we use wheelbarrows, potting tools and plant tags (to record the date and location of each salvage). Recycled pots are donated by several local nurseries. Program Coordination. Two staff work part- time on the salvage program. Greg Rabourn manages the "people" aspects of the program: the media outreach, volunteer recruitment and event coordination. Cindy Young manages the "plant" side of things: finding and surveying appropriate salvage sites, managing the holding facility, and coordinating with Water and Land's engineering staff to provide salvaged materials for restoration projects. In Western Washington the salvage season runs from October to April when the plants are dormant. The program requires 25 to 50% of Greg and Cindy's time depending upon the number of events each month. Need for Project. While the project generates public education and citizen involvement benefits, its primary purpose is to provide a reliable source of native plants for King County Department of Natural Resources restoration projects. The cache of salvaged plants also provide an element of flexibility in ensuring availability of plants for spur-of-the-moment "opportunity" projects and small neighborhood projects by volunteers.
The five steps of successfully salvaging a plant are: finding the right plant, preparing the plant, digging the plant, transporting the plant and tending the plant. Finding the right plant. Ideal candidates are plants that can withstand transplantation and grow quickly once replanted. Plants growing in disturbed areas are especially suited to salvaging as they have developed an extensive root system to survive. The ideal plant has a shallow, compact root system, tolerates a broad range of habitat conditions, and is adapted to disturbance. Wetland trees and shrubs, some upland shrubs, and most tree seedlings (two to four feet high) can be salvaged effectively. Look for a healthy tree or shrub growing from a single rootball. Trees and shrubs growing in clumps connected by underground runners are not as likely to survive transplanting. Preparing the plant. Flat-nosed gardening spades should be sharpened before each salvaging excursion. Cutting roots cleanly is critical to a successful salvage. Clear the leaves and twigs from around the plant's trunk or stem. Shrubs can be pruned back somewhat if they have a few long branches (over four feet). Sword fern fronds can be pruned to half their length. Have a wet burlap sack nearby filled with moist leaf matter and other mulch. Digging the plant. Dig in a circle at least eight inches from the stem, or one foot from the trunk if it is a large shrub or seedling (three or more feet high.) Gently work the spade under the plant's roots and lift the root ball out on the shovel blade. Encourage volunteers to lift with their legs, not with their backs, and to work in teams. Get the rootball into a moistened burlap sack as soon as possible since the roots begin drying out almost immediately. Be especially careful to keep the roots moist on cold dry days. As Cindy teaches, "...Protecting the roots is the most important salvaging technique. Keeping them moist, preferably with soil intact, helps minimize the impact of transplanting." In addition, we get several shovelfulls of the native soil along with the plant as there is a symbiotic relationship between the roots and microorganisms in the soil. Transporting the plants. Put three or four plants in each burlap sack. Once you have a few bags full, they can be carried to your vehicle with a "ferny gurney" (explained earlier). The plants are then taken back to the holding facility where they will be potted up. Tending the plants. Upland species are potted up, watered and placed in capillary beds. A few species, like cedar or sword fern, can be placed directly in the bed and the root ball covered with mulch. All the potted plants are tagged with the date and location of their salvage. This allows King County to keep a running inventory of the plants and to track their survival. Wetland plants are placed in 5 foot plastic swimming pools. All the plants need to be watered diligently during the dry season.
Volunteer recruitment strategies Initial recruitment. A multi-pronged approach was employed to recruit volunteers for this program. First, we mailed a "Volunteer Opportunity" flyer to an in-house mailing list. Second, we contacted likely conservation and gardening- oriented groups like the Washington Native Plant Society. Third, press releases were sent to the local media. A core of dedicated and knowledgeable people provided the energy to get the first successful year off the ground. Ongoing recruitment. As King County enters its eighth salvage season, we send flyers advertising large weekend events to a now established list of volunteers interested in salvaging. One salvage event each year is sponsored by a local radio station and this event always yields new volunteers for the program. Weekday events are available to school groups who want an outdoor or community service project where students can learn about plants and their role in a healthy ecosystem. Exciting linkages. One of the strengths of the salvage program is its ability to provide meaningful hands-on volunteer opportunities. Thurston County's Stream Team Program has modeled a salvage program after ours; Washington State University Cooperative Extension Master Gardener volunteers provide their labor. Numerous biology and horticulture teachers find salvaging provides a perfect educational field trip for their classes. A typical salvage experience. Once volunteers are recruited, it is important they have a meaningful experience. The typical salvage day starts out with staff arriving early and setting up a registration and snack area. Team Leaders, experienced volunteers who manage a team of four to eight participants, arrive next and are given an orientation to the site. As the rest of the volunteers arrive, they are greeted and asked to sign a liability waiver. After some informal networking, the group gathers in a circle and everyone gets a chance to introduce themselves. Staff conduct a briefing on safety and salvaging techniques and orient participants to the site and native plant species. Following this briefing, the group breaks into teams and starts salvaging. After three to four hours, the average volunteer is usually tired and the truck is full of salvaged plants. The group stops for a snack break and staff thanks participants and sums up the morning's accomplishments. This portion of the day runs from 9 am to 1 pm. A second group of volunteers is recruited to work at the holding facility to pot up the day's salvaged plants. This team works from noon to 4 pm. It is critical to get a large enthusiastic group to help with the potting. Prompt potting up of salvaged plants means a high plant survival rate.
The costs and benefits of the program in its second year of operation are summarized below. In the first year of operation, there were one-time start up costs such as acquiring and outfitting the native plant holding facility. Also, initial volunteer recruitment costs were higher due to the fact that this was a start up program and a large mailing was sent to get the word out. Cost Breakdown.
Benefits. As noted above, the Native Plant Salvage Program saves King County money in plant costs even after accounting for the staff involved in running the program. It provides a reliable source of native plant material for restoration and enhancement projects. Monitoring the salvaged plants shows an 95% survival rate at the holding facility (we don't have data yet for the planting sites). The program generates great publicity because it saves money and allows developers, government and citizens to work together on a positive program. The key benefit of salvaging is the opportunity for volunteers to get involved in saving a valuable resource. It empowers them and allows them to make a difference when faced with the rapid development of local ecosystems. The successes of this program are embodied in the comments of volunteers involved in the program: "I like the idea of using native plants to do what nature intended. Salvaging is almost free, in these days of government waste, it is a novel idea." "I like salvage program's use of native plants to improve our streams, water quality and fish habitat...it improves the overall environment." "This volunteer effort to save and plant native plants provides an opportunity for all ages to participate. It provides educational and environmental benefits without extreme costs."
Besides the obvious benefit of providing inexpensive plants for restoration projects, King County Department of Natural Resources' Native Plant Salvage Program has had more far- reaching effects. It created the opportunity for positive citizen participation in public works projects. It has enhanced relationships with the local development community. It has won several awards for unique recycling opportunities and for promoting sustainability. From its inception, the strategies and techniques outlined above have undergone continuous improvement and refinement. It is with great pride and enthusiasm that the staff at King County are able to share the working "blueprint" for a program that is serving as a model for similar programs across Washington State and the Pacific Northwest region. |
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Updated: February 9th, 2004 |
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Plant Holding Facility. Once the plants are salvaged, they need a place to be potted and tended until they are planted the following season. King County's native plant holding facility includes a greenhouse, capillary beds lined with plastic (directions for construction of these beds are covered below), 5 foot circular plastic swimming pools (for wetland species), shade for the plants, a watering system, a well-stocked tool shed, mountains of plastic pots, a covered area with a plant- potting table, and piles of potting soil and sawdust or other mulch materials.
Illustration of Capillary Bed