Caring for Land Trust Preserves

Every preserve and forest conservation area owned by Jefferson Land Trust has a management plan that details our long-term goals. In these plans, we list priorities for restoration or ongoing work that will enhance the natural area, such as work that encourages forest diversity and resilience and improves habitat for wildlife.

In these plans, we also outline our desired future condition for the place. For example, the desired condition may describe a forest that consists of a wide variety of visual layers extending upward from the soil level (groundcover plants and shrubs) to the tallest trees (overstory). (Note that Carrie says she has some images to illustrate this). It may contain dense patches of trees, areas of more moderately spaced trees, and small sunny openings that, together, create a great mix of growing spaces that support resilience in the face of changing conditions.

Sometimes a preserve doesn’t need extensive restoration work; however, every preserve requires ongoing care. The places we work are constantly changing. They’re affected by both negative and positive things, including the impacts of seasonal drought, weed seeds blown in from nearby roads or carried by birds, restoration plantings growing up to create better forest conditions, and more. Ongoing work to keep our protected lands healthy involves tasks such as removing damaging weeds, installing signage, maintaining trails, responding to changing forest conditions, and any other activities that are needed. This long-term care accounts for the bulk of our work to care for the land.

Many of the properties that the Land Trust acquires are already in excellent condition and on track to develop better and more resilient forest and stream conditions. Occasionally, however, we take on preserves that need additional support and restoration to reach their full potential. These restoration efforts often involve working with partners like the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, volunteers, and sometimes even hired contractors.

Typical projects include native shrub and tree plantings, enhancing species diversity, creating more standing snags or downed logs for wildlife habitat, thinning forests where past land use has created conditions that aren’t healthy, and even restoring creeks that have been altered to follow their more historic channels. These activities are intended to help a forest or stream move toward a place with a greater diversity of microhabitats and species.

Monitoring is a critical element of successful stewardship. Staff and trained volunteers record and respond to changes using adaptive management techniques. Monitoring involves at least quarterly or annual visits to inspect each property. These visits help us assess whether the property’s current conditions are on track to reach the desired future condition for the property or if additional care is needed for this to happen.

During a monitoring visit, Land Trust staff or trained volunteer Preserve Stewards make several checks. We look for any large-scale changes in the land (like the impact of a windstorm or a new side-channel in a creek), document signs of wildlife and habitat observations, and check boundaries and access points for signs of new or different human use. We note changes within the surrounding landscape that could impact the preserve. Other monitoring activities include forest health, stream health, and wetland health assessments, wildlife camera monitoring, amphibian monitoring, and bird monitoring.

Additionally, Land Trust staff and volunteer Preserve Stewards identify and address other stewardship concerns such as damaging weed populations, potentially damaging “social” trails created by visitors going into off-trail habitat areas, and places where people have dumped trash. We also note any essential landmarks, such as trees or creek features that provide wildlife habitat. The ultimate goal of monitoring is to track how healthy our protected areas are for plants and wildlife, or to track how healthy and productive a place is if protected as farmland or working forestland.

The Land Trust updates these management plans every five to 10 years, incorporating new information gathered during monitoring visits and management activities. We then use any updated information to extend or set new goals and objectives.

Taking care of these places takes resources. Sometimes that means calling on habitat, wildlife, or salmon biologists; foresters; or even partners, friends, or neighbors who can provide information about what the preserve was like in the past. We use a variety of hand tools (like a quality mattock to dig up blackberry roots), mechanical tools, and the occasional piece of heavy equipment.