Recent work
The City of Portland’s Mt. Tabor Invasive Plant Control and Revegetation Project has begun. Work was done in the NW and SW corners of the park (areas highlighted yellow in the map below). Specifically:
* Himalayan blackberry was cut with chainsaws. You will see areas that look more open, with the blackberry cuttings covering the ground.
* Himalayan blackberry and English ivy were sprayed with herbicides. For more information on the use of herbicides in this project, see: http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=53192&a=321630. Pesticide use restrictions are in place near Mt. Tabor’s open reservoirs to protect city drinking water.
* A silt fence was installed on the slope south of reservoir 5, to prevent erosion near the open reservoirs.
Next steps
* Fall 2010: Native seed will be planted in areas where bare soil is exposed, to prevent erosion.
* Late October 2010: Nuisance trees will be removed from natural areas throughout the park (areas highlighted yellow and green in the map below). The trees that will be removed are English hawthorn, Sweet cherry, and English holly.
* February 2011: Native trees and shrubs will be planted in locations where invasive plants have been adequately controlled. The majority of planting will take place in February 2012.
Useful information
* It is important that park users stay on trails to prevent both erosion and disturbance of the restoration process.
* The final opportunity to volunteer this year with Friends of Mt. Tabor Park to remove invasive plants is October 30, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. See www.taborfriends.org for details. The Friends of Mt. Tabor Park have done important work to save native groundcover plants by removing English ivy in areas where the ivy is intermixed with native groundcover plants.
* For more information about the Mt. Tabor Revegetation Project, go to the project website at http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?&c=53192
* The Mt. Tabor Revegetation Project is part of Portland’s Tabor to the River Program to stop sewer backups, manage stormwater naturally, and restore watershed health. Establishing native plants in the place of invasive plants in Mt. Tabor Park enhances watershed health by improving stormwater management and habitat, just as green streets do in urban areas.