Returned with dread to Squak Mountain to find more of the vegetation mowed down. Somebody is using a gasoline powered tool to mow down vegetation alongside trails, taking out everything within half a meter on each side of the trail. They’re destroying native plants, such as sword ferns, bleeding harts, salal, and others. Last week West Access Trail was all mowed down, today I found Mountainside drive and part Bullit Fireplace mowed down.
I just spoke to somebody from Washington Conservation Corps who were contracted to do this work. It was rather frustrating - the person said they do this “brushing” every 3-5 years to increase access (not true, this happened last August in the same places). I didn’t get a clear answer to how mowing down native plants alongside trails that are not overgrown at all increases access. Instead I was sent to speak to Washington State Parks.
I am including some before and after. They’re not from the EXACT same spot, but the nearest trail that hasn’t been impacted.
Comments
greymstreet on Squak Mountain Access Trail
Are they planning to drive up there? Hard to imagine why anyone would do this and think it's a good idea?
Posted by:
greymstreet on Jun 27, 2023 02:24 AM
scottsemans on Squak Mountain Access Trail
Yes, it's called brushing, or power-brushing, and agencies typically do it once or twice per year. It's necessary on narrower trails and especially contour trails, where plants on the high side of the trail grow down and force hikers toward the lower edge, degrading the trail. I just finished a tune-up of the lower portion of the Squak Mountain Access Trail (SMAT), built 2000, and rarely if ever brushed, to the point that it was a narrow, brushy ribbon. I removed ferns from the high side and transplanted to the low side to realign the hiker-tread, but public agencies just don't have the time to do this gardening-style work. And nowadays ferns transplanted outside of winter have a poor survival rate anyway. I've seen the brushing jobs you mention on West Access (West Side) and Mountainside, and agree it's unusually wide BUT it all grows back, and pretty quickly. The beautiful, black-stemmed Maidenhair ferns are especially attracted to the slanted backslopes of trails, for reasons unknown, so are repeated victims of the brushing. Solution? Wider, wider trails.
Posted by:
scottsemans on Jul 13, 2023 04:45 PM
scottsemans on Squak Mountain Access Trail
By the way, I assume you have filed this report on West Access And Bullett Fireplace Trails under "Squak Mountain Access" in a generic way, and not in reference to the actual SMAT. The portion of SMAT which is regularly power-brushed (by County Parks employees) is the County portion.
Posted by:
scottsemans on Jul 13, 2023 04:53 PM
radka on Squak Mountain Access Trail
These trails are not narrow nor brushy nor steep. Why was the Chybinski loop mowed down? The person I spoke to at Department of Ecology told me they were all done with Squak, yet I found my favorite trail mercilessly mowed down a week later. There was nothing overgrown on that trail. All the beautiful vegetation alongside the trail is gone. No, it won’t grow back fast, except for maybe buttercups. The sword ferns won’t grow substantially again till next May. Till then, we have brown piles to enjoy. These trails are 0.5 to a meter wide - how much wider do you need them? Do you need a ROAD? The Earth has just had several hottest days on record in July, we’re facing serious ecological problems, widespread dieback of native species… and this is what we’re spending resources on? We bring gasoline powered tools and mow down a wide corridor of native plants? With the recent hot and dry weather, I see the soil drying up where plants were removed, that used to shade and protect the soil. What happened to leave no trace principles? There are so many trails in need of repair around the state - these are not one of them. Try Bachelor Creek, for example, or something that IS actually in bad shape.
Yes, I posted the TR with the trails I did because when I type in “Squak”, only 4 trails pop up and none of the ones I am referring to are on the list. I understand the affected trails ARE in the database, but do not contain the word “Squak.” Since the entire mountain is being mowed down, it probably doesn’t matter as much. Btw, it’s Bullit, not “Bullet.”
Posted by:
radka on Jul 14, 2023 06:32 AM
scottsemans on Squak Mountain Access Trail
Basically I agree with your aesthetic for narrower brushing. I suspect they are trying to save money by brushing deeply and less frequently. I think all the trails you've mentioned are old roads as are most on Squak, not planned trail corridors, and the workers are seeing the entire roadbed as the trail. Have you been on the East Side Trail lately? The northern end to junction with Old Griz (Phil's Creek previously) looks to have been widely brushed a couple of months ago, judging from regrowth of small plants close to the tread. The sections near creeks brush over thickly with salmonberry and elderberry and they do not do regular brushing, so a hard brushing is warranted, I think. In fact, there is such a quirky leaving of elderberry berry bunches that I suspect it was done privately. The brushing continues up Old Griz, but the remaining southern portion of East Side (to East Ridge) is way overgrown, and the Thrush Gap Connector (unofficial, unsigned) has serious windfalls. Try that loop if you're up around the Phil's Creek/Summit junction and want a trail experience that feels like bushwhacking.
Posted by:
scottsemans on Jul 16, 2023 12:40 PM