Volunteers and Port Blakely staff recently joined the Lewis Conservation District to plant thousands of trees along the banks of Mill Creek, a tributary of the Chehalis River. In a single day, the team planted approximately 6,000 trees, contributing to a greater multi-year effort that will ultimately establish more than 20,000 trees and shrubs along nearly 3,000 feet of stream buffer.
The project aims to replace invasive reed canary grass with native species such as willow, dogwood, and cottonwood. As vegetation grows, it will help shade and cool the stream, stabilize streambanks, and create habitat for wildlife, which plays an important role in healthy salmon ecosystems.
The effort is supported by state funding through the Aquatic Species Restoration Program and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and involves collaboration between conservation groups, landowners, and volunteers.
To learn more about the project and the community effort behind it, read the full story from The Chronicle here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/project-along-mill-creek-near-adna-seeks-to-restore-wildlife-habitat-by-planting-trees-to-help,397770?Â