Save a Forest in Southworth, WA

Southworth Forest Update:

2024 Planting Season Ends With Progress in Southworth Forest

Posted April 15, 2025 by Southworth Forest

A portion of a boundary fence between the Southworth forest and the neighboring clear-cut parcel required extra reinforcement to withstand the strong winds caused by the deforestation. The clear-cutters continue to refuse responsibility for these impacts.

At the Southworth Forest near the ferry terminal in Port Orchard, the goal for each planting season is to install at least 75 new trees of two to three feet in height in areas where noxious and invasive species had previously taken over. Each tree is then carefully protected from deer damage. From October 2024 to March 2025, a total of 76 trees were planted and even more nearby area was prepared for restoration the next season. Routine trail maintenance is included in this work.

Another grove of 19 coast redwood trees was added just outside of the western wetland basin in the forest, alongside the original 20 coast redwoods introduced to the area the year before. Imported from a supplier in Oregon, these trees have proven to have a very high survival rate when planted at the two to three-foot size with their roots in plugs when shipped. Even when their tops die back in the first summer season while establishing, they vigorously return from either their base or partway up their original stem. They will need manually watered through the first several summers in the ground.

The southeastern side of the forest continues to suffer from the impacts of the neighboring deforestation at 11090 SE Southworth Dr., which remains in the code compliance process for its violation. Fortunately, clear-cutters Meghan and Clint Edwards abandoned their plan to remove up to 70 trees from a disputed easement along that boundary, so an additional 50 trees were planted along and within that area to help combat the long-term effects of the clear-cut. The forest at that edge has suffered from an influx of noxious weeds, deer damage, tree dieback, and windsnap of taller trees due to fierce winds now coming unhindered from the cleared parcel.

After the southeastern section was cleaned of invasive species and potential fire hazards in the understory, the trees planted there included the usual mix of Douglas fir, giant sequoia, and Sitka spruce in the sunnier portions while Western hemlock, Western red cedar, and grand fir were placed in the shadier ones. These were the first sequoia added to the forest in several years. The soil in this area is highly inconsistent, as some of it was pushed into the forest by the clear-cutters as part of their 2019 timber trespass. Some amendments were needed to address the fact that clay was pushed over the prior topsoil layer.

Restoration had begun in this boundary area in 2021, but the clear-cutters filed a legal claim to stop the plantings, arguing that the trees were obstructions to future road development. After several years, those frivolous claims were finally dropped, allowing the restoration to continue. Construction of solid fencing commenced along the property boundary as means to deter the deer damage, noxious weed, wind, and heat impacts coming from the neighboring clear-cut area. Some of this fencing had to be over-height to address topographical low points, and these sections required a fence permit from Kitsap County that is now finalized.

The wind impacts in the southeastern area continue to surprise. All the trees that have snapped partway up their trunks near the clear-cut fell away from that new source of heavier winds. The effects of the bomb cyclones during this past winter season required extensive cleanup to maintain access trails, and almost all the downed timber was in the southern portion of the forest where the impacts from the deforestation have proven pronounced over six years. Along with this cleanup work came the continued removal of English holly throughout the forest, concentrating now on the southern end. The holly remains a challenge as daunting as the blackberries.

For the 2025-2026 planting season, over 100 trees have been potted for care during the hot season. They include another 22 coast redwoods, 8 sequoia, 17 Sitka spruce, 12 Western hemlocks, dozens of Western red cedars, and a steady supply of Douglas and grand fir that have been transplanted from a nearby area in preparation for their final placement. Four white oaks are also awaiting their sunny home. Through the summer, additional holly and blackberries will be removed, and the community group will be conducting an appeal of the negligent Kitsap County permit approval for the clear-cutters as well. With luck, the region will avoid heat domes like last summer.

Another 19 coast redwoods sourced in Oregon were planted on the west side of the forest in the autumn of 2024. They are best suited in areas just upland from wetlands and have proven resilient even if they experience dieback at their tops after planting.

Over 50 trees were added to southeastern edge of the forest after the neighboring clear-cutters dropped a legal claim that attempted to stop their installation. These trees include the wide variety of conifers planted throughout the rest of the forest.

The "bomb cyclones" of late 2024 caused windsnap on the big leaf maples and red alders across the Southworth Forest. Numerous 60 to 70-year-old trees of substantial size have been lost despite being defoliated by the time the storms hit.