Nurse Logs and Dead Trees = New Life

Healthy Forests, Even in Urban Areas Need Dead Wood!

This "Nurse Log" is a tiny garden hosting a little hemlock
two different colored huckelberry bushes
and some ferns (also, unfortunately some English Ivy

Why? Because they actually nurture an incredible amount of plant and animal life.

Ancient Cedar Stump hosts new growth. Hemlock trees'
often get their starts by seeding in dead cedar.
The roots of the new trees frame the old stump.

KUOW, local NPR station featured the Nurse Log in it's series "More Than a Tree" this week, on interesting Northwest Trees.

"There's more life in this nurse log....than there ever was as a standing tree" says Larry Daloz, author and naturalist. "May our legacy, what we leave behind be richer than what we found when we came."


In Paramount Park there are many examples of "nurse logs" and stumps hosting new life.
It starts with a log or stump. With our restoration project in 2001 we added a great deal of LWD (Large Woody Debris) to add complexity and life giving dead wood to our wetland.

It starts with a dead stump and lichens and mosses
begin to break down the wood.

Then more life takes hold like ferns, small trees, and shrubs which continue to break down the dead wood. 

Sword Fern inhabits an old stump intentionally
placed in Paramount Park Natural Area
restoration


Also, many standing dead trees become habitat, providing food and nesting places for birds, insects and small mammals.

Old Tree Snag in Paramount Park with lots of holes created
by industrious woodpeckers

Red Breasted Sapsucker - ph credit, Steve Schneider

Paramount Park is the largest wetland in Shoreline at about 6 acres. The wetland restoration project originating in 1998 by Paramount Park Neighborhood Group, recreated wetland ponds and reconnected existing wetlands to the east to the stream system of Littles Creek, tributary of Thornton Creek. It is located in the SE section of Shoreline just north of NE145th, The wetlands and ponds are great places for stumps, logs and dead wood to host new life.

Stump in the lower pond hosts sword ferns, and a good sized
tree (Oregon Ash?)

Another stump in the upper pond hosts a healthy growth of salal bush and provides a lovely reflection.

Upper Pond with salal covered stump

To restore healthy forests, especially in urban areas, we must make a point to include "Large Woody Debris, logs, old stumps to bring diversity and "feed the forest" and provide opportunities for new life.

"Shamrocks" or the NW equivilant "Oxalis"
cover this old stump next to Littles Creek

One Sparkling Fall Day at Paramount Park

An autumn stroll in Paramount Park Natural Area yields some lovely, sparkling scenes amidst the colorful native vegetation, and ponds habitat.

Upper Pond on Paramount Park's Nature Trail

Paramount Park is a jewel in Shoreline's Park system. It is hidden and offers varied habitat and ecological diversity. It is the largest wetland in Shoreline (except for Echo Lake), with over 6 acres identified. It also hosts Littles Creek, a tributary of Thornton Creek, meadows, upland forest groves, trails and many types of trees and understory.

Lower Pond has different characteristics

The two major ponds shown were created by our organization, Paramount Park Neighborhood Group, in 1998, and habitat elements were added in 2001- 2007. These projects were done with partnerships and grants from King County Waterworks, City of Shoreline, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, and local volunteers, including school classes.

Reflections are one special bonus from the ponds,
but they serve many important purposes, including habitat
water retention, water quality and so much more

Just north of the trail towards the ponds is another natural wetland
area that hosts numerous old stumps and "snags". These are essential
elements of a really healthy wetland. Dead wood provides valuable
wildlife habitat.

Passive Recreation and individual uses for the community is just one more value provided by Paramount Park. This type of recreation is actually the largest usage in our parks, far greater than sports teams. This park provides opportunities, for walking, biking, hiking, nature study, photography and art, birding and picnicking.

Sun sparkles through the fall canopy

Paramount Park offers many delights including this huge double cottonwood, which changes it's look with the seasons.

Huge double Cottonwood dominates the
center of Paramount Park

Come visit Paramount Park any time of year for a true natural experience in one of our city's lovliest places. You can enter the park via NE 147th at 8th, or walk in on NE 148th, Ten Ave NE at 152nd, or 152nd and 11th NE.  It is an important headwaters for Thornton Creek, the largest watershed in Seattle and Shoreline.

Now That's Some Real Snow!

About 2 Inches of "Real Snow" in 

Shoreline So Far as of 4pm, November 22nd.

Real Snowfall in Paramount Park on Hemlock Grove

Reflections in "Upper Pond" are

especially beautiful in the snow

Upper Pond at Paramount Park is a restored

wetland with "Large Woody Debris"

placed as wildlife habitat. Sure makes a

pretty scene too!

Paramount Park is a "Headwaters Wetland" and contains one of the largest wetlands in Shoreline at over 6.5 acres. PPNG

did the restoration project over 10 years ago and created two wetland ponds and replanted nearly 3 acres with native plants.

Littles Creek doesn't mind the snow a bit!

It is a tributary and headwaters of Thornton Creek, the largest watershed

in Shoreline and Seattle

NW Native Plants don't mind the snow at all.

Sword fern gully makes a nice image.

Went for a nice walk and Paramount Park is a real star in the snow. 

Couple enjoys the view at the "lower pond" in the pre-Thanksgiving Snowfall

Two neighborhood children enjoying the snow with all five senses!

So get out there and enjoy the beautiful scenes around Shoreline in this rare November show!

The Cedarbrook Coalition

This article reprinted from Friday's Shoreline Area News.

It is authored by George Piano, Chair of the Cedarbrook Coalition.

The Cedarbrook Park is an example of several open space sites in Shoreline that have a great deal of support in the community for acquisition as new public parks. Currently, the funding climate for such acquisitions is more difficult, but the need is just as great as ever. There is actually a deficiency of Open Space and Parks in this part of Shoreline, and the City actually has less open space than many nearby cities, even though we do have some fine parks.

The citizens of two cities, Shoreline and Lake Forest Park which surround this potential parks site, find this is a refuge and recreation site that offers welcome respite and fun during this difficult economic time. The Shoreline School District has been taking the desires of the community and situation seriously.

The supporters of this site and others in town such as Aldercrest and Sunset have shown tremendous intitiative and community spirit. We wish them all good luck and success in their quests.

The Cedarbrook Coalition

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010

By George Piano, Chairman Cedarbrook Coallition

In the fall of 2008, in response to the Shoreline School District’s expressed intent to surplus and sell the Cedarbrook Elementary School property to the highest bidder, a neighborhood group composed of residents of both Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, The Coalition for the Preservation of Cedarbrook, a registered 501(3)C non profit corporation, was formed. The goal of this group is to work with both communities to find a way to acquire and preserve the Cedarbrook property as an active neighborhood park. After introducing the Coalition to the Shoreline School Board and explaining our goal, the Coalition was given until August of 2010 to create a viable plan to purchase the property from the School District. Support for the Park continues to grow within our community. The Coalition has almost 1000 signatures on a petition of support and many subscribers to our website. The Shorelake Soccer Association has endorsed our efforts and has provided very generous financial support. During the past year we have made several presentations to both the Shoreline and Lake Forest Park City Councils to increase awareness and to develop official support.

It became clear that the process of raising the necessary funding for the purchase of the property in this tough economic climate was going to be a difficult and complex process and would require more time than the School Board had granted. With unanimous support from the Shoreline Parks and Recreation Board and the Lake Forest Park Community Services Commission, and with a great deal of help from Shoreline Parks Director Dick Deal, a Resolution of Support was drafted to present to the City Councils of both communities. The resolutions commit the Cities of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park to work together with the Cedarbrook Coalition to explore sources of funding to purchase and develop the Cedarbrook property as a park. The Resolutions also requests additional time from the Shoreline School District to accomplish this goal. This resolution was adopted unanimously by both City Councils. Now that both cities have officially pledged their support and commitment to working towards the acquisition of the Cedarbrook property, we are anxiously awaiting a positive response from the Shoreline School Board granting us the additional time necessary to make this community dream a reality.

The Cedarbrook Coalition is in the process of planning our spring and summer campaign to continue raising neighborhood support and awareness for the development of the park and is committed to working with the Shoreline School District and the Cities of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park to get this done. We welcome help from any and all folks interested in preserving the gem that is Cedarbrook, for our ourselves and for generations to come. Folks can learn more by visiting our website or contacting George Piano, Chairman. Cedarbrook Info The Cedarbrook property is approximately 10.6 acres. Currently there are several unused school buildings including a small administration building, a large classroom building, and a gym building that includes a large gym, a stage, a commercial kitchen, and several bathrooms. The property includes areas of native forest, open play fields, designated wetlands, and parking areas. Whisper Creek runs along the northern border of the property and is a lovely fish-bearing, year-round creek. Portions of this creek are currently being restored by the Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation. Working in conjunction with local citizens, a new foot bridge has been built linking the Cedarbrook property with the bordering Lake Forest Park and Shoreline neighborhoods, and areas along the creek have been cleared of invasive nonnative plants and are being replanted with native vegetation. A watershed that was once known as Cedarbrook Creek was diverted underground and into a culvert that runs across the playfield when the school was built. This creek eventually empties into Whisper Creek. The hope of the Cedarbrook Coalition is that, as part of the park development, we will be able to daylight this creek, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and see this stream once again flow in the sunlight. The property is a perfect opportunity to develop the only active park in this area that can include open play fields, basketball and tennis courts, a toddler playground, and perhaps a community center utilizing the existing gym. There is potential for a skateboard park, pea patches, nature trails, and a rest area for bicyclists puffing up Perkins Way on the new Trail connecting route. The possibilities are endless. Photos by Andrew M. Bradner