Here you see the slope of the land after the blackberry canes have been cut and cleared. The roots are still in place, as evidenced by the short sticks coming up from the ground. Now we have a better idea of where water flows and what natives were hiding underneath. The white flags mark natives we want to keep (part of Step 2)! You can see the large pile of canes in the upper left corner of this photo as well as the black biochar from our first burn (Step 3).
For links to my full restoration process, visit Restoring a Native Woodland Garden.
Our first order of business was to better understand what we were working with and to plan how we could create a more supportive natural environment while disturbing the soil as little as possible. I considered hiring goats to eat the canes; something my next door neighbor had done previously. However, because the land was so entirely covered in blackberries and it was impossible to see the contour of the property and gauge any other pitfalls, the goat owner was concerned for the safety of the animals.
So instead, Andrew had to do all the work. He cut back the above-ground portion of the blackberry canes so we could see the curves of the land. He raked the canes into a massive (and I mean MASSIVE) pile so we could easily walk and observe the area. The entire section is sloped, but some areas are much steeper than others.
If only deer were as voracious as goats and would eat all the blackberries!
Where does the water flow? What native plants are already there, thriving despite the blackberry competition? How much sun does each area receive throughout the year? What native plants have a deep and strong root system that can help prevent erosion? Which plants support wildlife, aren’t so tall they block our view of the water and mountains, and are appropriate for this section of our property given the sun, drainage and soil specifications?
Are there any projects, beyond integrating robust vegetation, that we should tackle to better manage storm water? Are there things, in addition to plants, I can incorporate to better support wildlife, such as rocks, stumps or branches? How do I envision using the space? Are my goals only related to wildlife and soil stability, or do I plan to enjoy the woodland garden myself? Do I want to allow for a sitting area? Where are the views, shady nooks or other areas I might use as a place to relax?
This (old) aerial wasp nest was found amidst the blackberries and salmonberries.
I devoured books and online resources to learn more about native plants. I enjoyed walks through local parks with my amazing native plant group so I could see in person the plants I had been reading about. I reached out to multiple people to get their feedback on the project, particularly experts in storm water management and slopes. After much discussion, we determined that plantings with a variety of root structures (i.e. taproot and wide-spread roots; deep, medium and shallow roots) was our best approach to managing storm water. Unfortunately, no trenches, rain gardens or any other form of often-used mitigation techniques were appropriate for our site. One consultant did propose a couple of small changes, including moving the path that leads to our beach stairs so that it no longer runs alongside the cliff’s edge (and filling in that old path with plants), as well as removing large sections of a dead log that were sitting on top of the bank, preventing new trees from growing in that vulnerable location.
Beautiful Pacific Bleeding Heart was hiding underneath the blackberries!
Once we knew what we wanted to accomplish, I had to determine the best way to do the work. Should we hire an excavator to dig up the blackberry roots, which would be significantly faster and less physically demanding than digging by hand but would compact and tear up the delicate slope? How large of a section did we want to tackle for this restoration project? Even digging the roots by hand is destructive to the soil life and stability. How do we do as little damage as possible?
Ultimately, we determined that an excavator would be too destructive, and our only real choice was to do the work by hand (thanks, Andrew!). We decided to dig the roots in one large area and to merely cut back the canes in another section. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to eradicate the blackberries that still have roots, as they’ll require constant trimming.
In addition to my concerns for disturbing the soil, I also wanted to make sure we did as much as we could to protect the wildlife who have been calling this section of property their home. The birds that take cover in the brambles, the squirrels that store food under wood piles and salamanders that hide under logs. We purposefully left a lot of cover on the perimeter (including blackberries) and some in the interior of the project area that will provide habitat during this transition period but will later be removed once the new growth is able to support wildlife. Plus, I planned to incorporate long-term, dedicated habitat areas (see Step 5).
