The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began planting 40 poplar trees along the Ship Canal today, Friday, April 23 as part of the Fremont Cut rehabilitation plan.
According to Corps Public Affairs Specialist Andrea Takash, the garden staff from the Ballard Locks will be planting 20 poplar tress next to the Burke-Gilman Trail in Fremont, and another 20 by the South Ship Canal Trail bordering Queen Anne and Magnolia. There will be no closures and minor impact to the Burke-Gilman trail during the planting.
“We are excited to enter into the planting portion of phase two of the
Fremont Cut rehabilitation plan,” said Dru Butterfield, Natural Resources
manager for the Lake Washington Ship Canal. “The poplar trees are 12-feet
tall and typically grow 2-3 feet per year.”
This is only the first part of planting the Corps will be doing along the Ship Canal this year. In the fall the team will return to plant an additional 400 understory plants and shrubs. The entire Fremont Cut rehabilitation plan has four phases, spread out through 2030. (Phase three isn’t set to begin until 2018). From a Corps press release published this week:
The Corps’ plan is to restore the aging poplar colonnade in a historically appropriate manner and to replant shrubs and ground covers that have been lost over time. The plan is a comprehensive, practical and environmentally sensitive plan to guide the Corps’ management activities.
Follow the progress at the Army Corps Ship Canal project page.