Recent work culminated in a Design Charette sponsored by Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects WASL, the National Park Service, Spokane City Parks and the local leadership group: The Inland Northwest Trails and Conservation Coalition & Nicoterra Trails. Below is the writeup on the website: a concept 9-mile trail connection through the … More Latah-Hangman Creek Corridor Trail Planning
Site Characteristics and Scope North of Enumclaw, Washington, a body of water named Beaver Lake (BL); nestled in-between Bass Lake and Sinkhole Lake comprises a rectangular area of 1/2 mile by 1/4mile. This site was acquired by King County from a logging interest which had cleared the landscape in 1999 of many conifers without … More Bass-Beaver Lake Organic Restoration Enumclaw
While near Port Townsend last week working on a multi-year woodlot thinning project, I pondered the trouble of our beautiful madrones throughout the Northwest. We all know the black scars on tree trunks. These are the characteristic signs of a fungus termed Fusicoccum aesculi or madrone canker which has been ravaging our thin bark evergreens…for the past 3 decades. … More fight for life
“Money in the bank” is a good feeling for moving ahead. Scrawny Ponderosa Pine will use banked nutrients like any other tree, if those seeds find the right target and the nutrients are available to them. So who is the seedling banker of choice on the dry uplands of the Little Spokane River? Well, it … More sapling survival
Memories of alpine settings and long drives with canoe and tele-skis to explore only mountain haunts designated solely for solitude excursions; thats why I came and will return. Summer 2016 will engage Nicoterra Trails in study of larch and white bark pine in Northern Idaho. This photo was taken north of Stanley, a very different … More Beauty in Idaho Beckons
I absolutely love community gardens, they are quickly becoming my favorite “Third Place”, the term urbanologists use to define social gathering places outside work and home (number 2 and number 1 respectively). Cafes and parks are also in the running for good third places, but tell me where is the “community involvement” and volunteerism in … More Saint James Community Garden gets a little help from Nicoterra Trails
Many PNW conifers have been evaluated recently for hazard tree conditions. This may be due in part to concerns of storm events on trees and homes but also to a heightened awarness of tree health by clients. In either case, bravo! Awareness leads to greater understanding of the risks and ultimately lower risk when a … More Western Red Cedar – Hazard Tree Analysis
Many months ago, I was asked by a good friend, if I would consider building her a sweat lodge. She may have been impressed by my hand-built wooden boats sitting around the home, but I deferred the question to the peoples who inhabited the Northwest during it’s tribal bloom… They could steer her toward a … More A Sweat Lodge for Healing
April, new buds and fresh yellow-green leaves in the tree canopies and my thoughts turn to live willow stakes- a special planting maneuver. Any species of this genus Salix will work for this activity and the results, if timed right are well worth the effort. Down on the Little Spokane River, below Hastings Road on … More Willows on the Little Spokane River
Reducing surface erosion on bare, steep slopes is getting a boost from a well-known construction technique: straw and seed. Nicoterra Trails is pursuing simplified ways of greening up the construction work of trail crews with the idea of saving soil, building organic base, and getting plants re-established. All of this in a forest canopy with … More Duthie Hill Pilot Project: Evergreen Mountain Biking Alliance – Managing erosion – greening bike jumps
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