We love Forest Park! With more than 80 miles of trails right outside our Portland HQ doors, it's where we go for early morning trail runs before work, lunch hour forest bathing, and weekend hikes with friends.
So, to celebrate National Public Lands Day this year, we spent the morning giving back to this special ecosystem right here in our backyard – by removing invasive English ivy with the Forest Park Conservancy. These aggressive European vines crowd out native species, suffocate old-growth trees, and serve as ladder fuel in the event of a wildfire.
About 50 of us grabbed loppers and rakes, and cleared large areas around Macleay Park. After uprooting the vines, we chopped them up into tiny pieces to prevent them from re-sprouting. The most satisfying part was ripping vines off old-growth trees. (So good!)
Beyond all the good feels of volunteering, it was great to see so many trail runners and groups of hikers pass by us on a weekday morning. We are so lucky to have all this nature within Portland city limits.
Happy National Public Lands Day to all! We hope you're out enjoying your favorite natural spaces and giving them some love in return. If you're in the Portland area, Forest Park Conservancy is always looking for volunteers. Check out their events calendar to get involved.
