Contact:
Lisa Dulude
Energy and Environmental Sustainability Manager
Lisa.Dulude@snoco.org
425-388-3965
Snohomish County’s Healthy Forests Project Kick-Off Event
EVERETT, Wash., January 6, 2020 – Snohomish County and Forterra are hosting a community kick-off event on Saturday, January 25, 2020 for the county’s Healthy Forest Project which focuses on restoring the health of county-owned forested land through a community stewardship model. The open-house event will be held at the Northwest Stream Center at McCollum Park in Everett from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., with an information session open house from 10:00 a.m. to Noon, and a volunteer restoration activity from 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. to remove invasive species. There will also be hands-on activities for children. This event is an opportunity for the community to learn more about the Healthy Forests Project and provide input on the draft 20 year Forest Plan. Please visit the program website to RSVP: www.Snocohealthyforest.org.
Ten pilot locations have been identified for the Healthy Forest Project, including McCollum Park, Kayak Point Park, Portage Creek Wildlife Area, Smith Island, Picnic Point Park, Meadowdale Beach Park, Lake Stickney Park, Lord Hill Regional Park, Evergreen State Fairgrounds, and Paradise Valley Conservation Area. Through this new program, Snohomish County will partner with local communities to recruit, train, and support volunteer stewards to lead forest restoration projects in one of the priority parks. Ultimately, the county aims to build a network of healthy urban forests and a strong culture of community stewardship, leadership, and partnership to support a healthy Puget Sound.
“Forests need active management to stay healthy,” said Dave Somers, Snohomish County Executive. “With the help of our community, we will make a significant and lasting impact on the health of Puget Sound and do our part to address climate change. Our community depends on healthy forests for our quality of life and our economic health.”
Last spring, Snohomish County and Forterra announced this new community stewardship program to restore and care for the forested parks and natural areas managed by the county. The framework and structure of the program follows Forterra’s Green City Partnership model, used in 14 cities across the Puget Sound. Forterra is a leader in conservation and restoration of our region’s natural areas, including partnerships with a dozen cities to restore the health of urban forests in municipal parks. Forterra will help with the recruitment and training of local forest stewards. They in turn will host work parties for invasive species removal, tree planting, and more.
For more information about the Snohomish County Healthy Forests Project and the January community kick-off event, please visit the program website: www.snocohealthyforest.org.