The Green Seattle Partnership is the largest urban forest restoration project in the country (The Intersector Project). It was formed in 2004 in coordination with the Department of Parks and Recreation, Public Utilities, and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment. They are mostly operated in Seattle city parks, and most of the people doing the work are self-organized volunteers, non-profit efforts, and City staff and crews (Green Seattle Partnership).
Their aim is to do a 20-year strategic plan to sustain Seattle’s forested parks, to get rid of aggressive invasive weeds, clean up illegal trash and yard waste dumping, and do more intensive maintenance of the trees in the parks. Without serious maintenance, the majority of the vegetation in these parks will rapidly decrease in 20 years and turning into a “dead zone” in 50 years (Green Seattle Partnership).
Dead zones are a space with little
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The existence of native plants will soak up more rain water and that will decrease the chance of landslides, as opposed to dead zones with barren piece of land that will not absorb any of the rain water, thus creating more chances of landslides.
The program that the Green Seattle Partnership are doing also contributes to the biodiversity of the plants and animals in the parks. Invasive plants can overrun the parks and will replace the plants in this region that support local wildlife. These native plants provide habitat for birds and many other wildlife. Other than that, native plants provide protective shelter for some mammals in these forests and parks. The native nuts, seeds, and fruits produced by these plants offer essential foods for all forms of wildlife (Audubon).
Also, if the invasive species take over the native plants, people in Seattle will lose their serene forests and parks which help alleviate the stress of modern / city living. Over time, there will not be any