7-3-2002
Environmental
Power, politics and wizards
By Kathleen Byrne Barrantes
Puget Sound Energy’s community forester, Jim Trainer, shows Kathleen Barrantes just how quickly genetically engineered “Frankenfirs” can grow. These are about a year old.
   Puget Sound Energy — an apt descriptor of the company OR its magical master of forestry, Jim Trainer, community forester for the largest private power utility in Washington state. Puget Sound Energy’s tree nurseries and distribution programs for a 10 county region the size of New Jersey, Trainer spreads his tree expertise from Port Townsend to Bellingham to Olympia.
   Known by public/private entities in resource planning and conservation programs everywhere, his peers are in awe of Trainer’s “whirling dervish” energy and breadth of knowledge.
   Trainer was the Kitsap County parks manager for ten years until becoming the urban forester for five years with the City of Bremerton. Now in his third year with PSE, Trainer has distributed 20,000 trees, partnering with the National Tree Trust, trail groups, stream teams, school districts, and local parks to establish ten tree nurseries which grow native plants for restoration and revegetation projects.
   The PSE program has contributed to numerous projects including the Liberty Bay Nearshore Habitat, Gorst, Illahee, Steele, Knapp, and Clear creeks as well as public right of way and state parks.
   The Gorst Creek restoration, perhaps the most phenomenal feat in this state’s third largest municipal watershed, has saved the city more than $100,000. It has received national coverage through the regional Arbor Day program and will be featured in the fall issue of Birdscape magazine.
   A Washington State University research study program partnership at the Gorst creek native plant nursery has been underway to experiment with genetically engineered trees fittingly dubbed “Frankenfirs.”
   “These trees are grown up in Tagro, a bio-solid mix from Tacoma and then flagged for use here on the site. In one year, the trees grew 3 to 4 feet compared to the 20-24 inches natural strain planted in regular topsoil,” said Trainer. It is believed that the engineered trees may offer quicker cover for situations of emergency mitigation or urgent restoration needs in the future.
   The objectives of the PSE program have always been to improve community relations through these innovative partnerships and to reduce long-term maintenance costs through targeted removal and replacement with utility friendly trees. In the process, they have reduced waste and enriched the earth through their “Chip Recycle Program” which provides mulch and composting material to networks of resource people and individuals at no cost.
   Doris Small, State Fish & Wildlife Watershed Steward Biologist, works with volunteer groups to restore and manage healthy riparian buffers. In her recent work with the Liberty Bay Foundation, Bight of Poulsbo and community volunteers, she commended their efforts, stating “The City of Poulsbo is fortunate to have volunteers interested in natural resources participating in the establishment of shoreline buffers at City properties. Restoration of healthy riparian areas is important to improving function of shoreline areas for fish and wildlife resources and demonstrates good stewardship of public lands. The Nelson Park site would benefit by reestablishing native plants where invasive species have taken over. Invasive species (e.g. blackberries and ivy) impede the ability of native plants to grow. To restore a healthy riparian area often requires removal of the invasive non-native plants and replacement with native plants appropriate to the site (and some TLC), This is usually hard work, time consuming, and not very glamorous. However, the benefits to fish and wildlife resources are well documented.”
   For advice on marine projects in Kitsap/ Mason counties, you may reach her at (360) 895-4756.
   A Bremerton area citizens group dedicated to improving the quantity and quality of trees called “KITSAP TREES” is currently forming to help protect Kitsap County’s Watershed. If you are interested in helping plant or care for trees you may contact Don Larson dolarson@krl.org, Daren Nygren, Bremerton City Council District 3 at daren1698@yahoo.com, or Mike Shepard, Dist #5 at shepherd@sinclair.net.
  U.S. Representative Jay Inslee is working his own political wizardry in Washington, introducing bipartisan legislation to take care of existing roads and protect the remaining jewels of our National Forests from mining, drilling and clear-cutting. "When the Kitsap community looks over its backyard, West of the Hood Canal to the Olympic National Forest, we see 1,290 miles of roads in dire need of maintenance. Many of these roads are washing into our streams and damaging precious wildlife habitat because the Forest Service cannot keep up with the maintenance. Road maintenance for our backyard alone is facing over $400 million in budget shortfalls. My common-sense legislation represents a true balance between environmental and economic concerns about our National Forests," Inslee said, from his D.C. office.
  An 'ounce of prevention' might well have been worth billions of dollars of cure relative to the damage of our nations forests and waterwaysthrough poor resource planning in earlier years. Even with modern science hocus-pocus, it will still take 100 years to grow centuries old trees.
U.S. Representative Jay Inslee is working his own political wizardry in Washington, introducing bipartisan legislation to take care of existing roads and protect the remaining jewels of our National Forests from mining, drilling and clear-cutting. “When the Kitsap community looks over its backyard, West of the Hood Canal to the Olympic National Forest, we see 1,290 miles of roads in dire need of maintenance. Many of these roads are washing into our streams and damaging precious wildlife habitat because the Forest Service cannot keep up with the maintenance. Road maintenance for our backyard alone is facing over $400 million in budget shortfalls. My common-sense legislation represents a true balance between environmental and economic concerns about our National Forests,” Inslee said, from his D.C. office.
An “ounce of prevention” might well have been worth billions of dollars of cure for the damage to our nations forests and waterways by poor resource planning in earlier years. Even with modern science hocus-pocus, it still takes 100 years to grow century old trees.