Recent Findings and Community Support

We received a very generous donation last summer.   Laboratory & greenhouse research, and extensive regional die-off site surveys provide new insight into the nature and extent of the ongoing sword fern die-off.   Herewith an update.

• The Seattle branch of 100 Women Who Care raised almost $8000 to support research into the cause and nature of the sword fern die-off.  We were delighted.  We are grateful!
• Forest ecologist Dylan Mendenhall (trained at UW and UBC, himself once a Seattle Parks GSP forest steward at Schmitz Preserve) has conducted pro bono research at the UW CUH greenhouse over the last two months.    Greenhouse rental fees and material costs were paid for out of the 100 WWC donation.   Dylan tested the hypothesis first raised in the ad hoc beer-bottle experiment: that the die-off effect can be transmitted in water from an affected frond to a healthy frond.   Dylan's experiments proved this hypothesis, at scale, and with rigor - a huge breakthrough in our ongoing effort to determine the cause of the regional PNW lowland sword-fern die-off.  High resolution microscopy and metagenomic sequencing are likely next steps.
• Reed College undergraduate researcher Caleb Goldstein-Miller, working under the guidance of Professor Aaron Ramirez, spent many weeks over the summer, and some subsequent time in the lab, on two topics: a regional die-off site survey, and ecophysiological water relations.   The results of the regional survey may be seen in this map.  (UW students and Dr. Tim Billo assisted in the survey.)  Caleb summarized the ecophys lab work: "[W]e are confident in our conclusion that moisture stress is not driving the die off at Seward Park. This increases our confidence that the regional decline is caused by some still unknown biotic vector".
• Seattle Parks ecologist Lisa Cieko led (and continues to guide) a crucial response to the die-off at Seward Park: the ecological restoration of the original die-off site, "Ground Zero".  About 100 native plants of mixed species were installed, mulched, then watered over the summer, with thus far good survival rates.  In combination with the 24 sword ferns we planted in February of 2018 - which have a nearly 100% survival rate - Ground Zero is no longer the barren, non-regenerating  slope it was for several years.  In addition, a few fringecups have sprung up in the first instance of natural regeneration.