South Woods

South Woods, the smallest park surveyed, is also the newest addition to the Shoreline park system. This 16 acre park was purchased in 2007 and has an active group of stewards, the South Woods Preservation Group. Two forest types, conifer and conifer/madrone, were mapped in South Woods. Madrone forests are a rare and important forest type in the Puget Sound region. These forests, which usually prefer dry bluffs, make up less than 5% of urban forests in Seattle. Almost four acres of conifer/madrone forest are present in South Woods.

Unfortunately, South Woods poses some of the largest management challenges in the city. Invasive species found in the park include English ivy (Hedera helix), English holly (Ilex aquifolium), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ) and Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus). English ivy and Himalayan blackberry are present in patches throughout the park and cover approximately 3.5 acres of area. However the main culprits are English holly and cherry laurel, which are ubiquitously present throughout the entire park in extremely high densities. Our surveys show an average of almost 4,000 stems per acre, compared to only 159 stems per acre of native regenerating trees. In particular, regeneration levels of Pacific madrone and native conifer trees are very low in South Woods. These are some of the highest densities of English holly that SUN has recorded in any park in the Puget Sound region. Removal of these trees from the park will require a dedicated and long-term effort, but is necessary to preserve the native forest structure of the park.

Click here to view the South Woods VMP & maps

Hamlin Park

Hamlin Park contains 80 acres of land, 59 of which are forested. The majority of forests in Hamlin Park are conifer, with small pieces of conifer/deciduous forest, conifer/madrone forest and deciduous madrone/forest also present. Interestingly, 15 acres of conifer forests in the center of Hamlin Park have a completely bare understory, lacking any groundcovers, shrubs or regenerating trees. This is a highly unusual situation in a forest which has a well-developed canopy. Many theories have been developed over the years to explain the cause of the bare spots, including motorcycle use, human trampling, lack of light, and soil problems. To get to the bottom of this mystery, SUN began working with the City of Shoreline in March of 2008 to conduct soil tests and establish a scientific study looking at various soil amendments and species survival to plan a long-term strategy to re-vegetate these areas. To learn more this scientific study, visit SUN's Current Projects page on our website.

The presence of these bare areas points to one of the major management concerns in Hamlin Park, namely the lack of a formal trail network and the presence of numerous social trails spanning the park area. This encourages trampling of bare areas and does not limit human activity to well-defined trail corridors. The City of Shoreline recognizes this problem and is currently working on developing an official trail plan for the park.

Invasive species, as always, also pose a significant challenge in Hamlin. Although the central core area of the park is free of invasive species, mostly due to lack of any understory or shrubs, the edges of the park are invaded with English ivy, Himalayan blackberry, Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and invasive trees such as English holly, sweet cherry (Prunus avium), Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia). Although the density of invasive trees is not as high as in South Woods, SUN recorded an average of 1,083 non-native stems/acre compared to 184 native stems/acre. As these trees and shrubs have not yet penetrated into the center of the park, it is important to conduct control measures as soon as possible to contain these species.

Click here to view the Hamlin Park VMP & maps

Boeing Creek and Shoreview Parks

Boeing Creek and Shoreview Parks, which together span 88 acres, represent the gem of the Shoreline park system. These beautiful forests, which used to be the private hunting grounds of William Boeing (founder of The Boeing Company), contain 200 foot tall Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and western white pine trees (Pinus monticola), streams, riparian forests and access to Hidden Lake. Five forest types are present in the two parks, of which conifer forests and conifer/deciduous forests are the most common. These parks contain the highest plant diversity found during the survey, consisting of nearly 70 different native plant species. In the center of the two parks, riparian forests run along the stream corridor. These forests represent some of the most important habitat types for wildlife with high plant species and structural diversity due to high water availability. Usually in riparian forests, many layers of groundcover, shrubs and trees provide a rich variety of habitats, water sources and travel corridors for wildlife. However Boeing Creek and Shoreview Parks have many extremely steep slopes, which are prone to erosion. This issue is exacerbated in the riparian forests, which contain many unstable slopes that prevent trees from gaining a foothold. As in Hamlin Park, an official trail network does not exist and many social trails run along the steep slopes in the parks. The City of Shoreline is working on a master trail plan in the parks, which will be implemented in the next several years.

One of the most significant management issues lies in Shoreview Park, which contains 12 acres of disturbed shrubland habitat due to prior clearing for construction of a school. Although the school was never built, the legacy of the disturbance is evident in the large expanse of Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry and butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) present today. These shrubs are encroaching on the intact natural areas that surround them, including five acres of adjacent conifer/madrone forests. Additional clearing in the northern end of Boeing Creek Park has resulted in areas dominated by Himalayan blackberry, Scotch broom and English ivy.

One of the most seriously degraded areas of the park is located in aisolated parcel across the street from Northwest 175th Street in the northern part of the park. This area is inaccessible to the public due to the presence of a fence around the perimeter. Most of this area has been suffocated by ivy, which has created a true “ivy desert”, toppling trees and preventing native species from growing. In fact, only four native species were recorded in the herbaceous layer in this zone. To add to the problems, almost all regenerating trees in this parcel consist of English holly, which was recorded at a density of 1,080 stems, compared to 90 stems per acre of native trees. Fortunately, as this parcel is separated from the rest of the park, it is not immediately threatening the integrity of adjacent forested areas.

Although some areas of Boeing Creek and Shoreview Parks are facing invasive species problems, overall, these parks are in very good ecological shape. The forests contain many mature trees, a complex forest structure and regenerating native trees. They abound with native wildlife such as Douglas squirrels and pileated woodpeckers. And, they provide a refuge from the urban landscape that is so important to thousands of Shoreline residents.

Click here to view the Boeing Creek Park & Shoreview Park VMP & maps