A Visit to the Upper Luther Burbank Forest - December 27th 2016

video


At the invitation of Al Smith  - naturalist, conservationist and Mercer Island Parks volunteer, who worked for years at Seward Park, and now focuses on Upper Luther Burbank Park - I visited some sites of concentrated sword fern die-off identified by Al in this second-growth forest.   Some observations upon the most dramatic site (see video below):

• About 1000 square feet in size
• On a moderately steep west-facing slope
• No trees, healthy ferns surrounding 
• About 35 dead crowns
• No mountain beaver are reported on Mercer Island