City Trees

designed its study with input from both internal and external stakeholders, the latter of which requested that opportunities for community stewardship be considered, as the ROW offers important geographic connections between other habitat fragments. The study was set up as five blocks of one 10 x 10 meter (33 x 33 foot) plot for each of five regimens: 1. No maintenance 2. Existing maintenance 3. Weed and tree control only 4. Weed/tree control plus native herba- ceous species (seeding and plants) 5. Weed/tree control plus herbaceous and shrub species (seeding and plants) The plots were monitored for regeneration of fast- growing tree and invasive weed species. With two years of data collection after treatments, initial results indicated that the #4 and #5 regimen test plots show more native cover, more plant species, and less inva- sive plant cover, and that plant-based controls are functioning as well as mowing for reducing tree seed- lings. Further monitoring and data analysis is planned. Baseline Pollinator Inventory One opportunity that came from conversations with stakeholders was the ability to alter the ROW to better promote pollinator habitat, a hot topic in utility ROW circles these days. As the first step in a Before-After-Control-Impact study, SCL part- nered with The Common Acre and a University of Washington Entomologist to inventory the diversity of bees at targeted restoration areas before restoration and to record bee food plants in targeted areas. This inventory resulted in the capture of 74 recog- nizable species representing all five families of bees in our area. This helped SCL better understand how important urban transmission ROWs can be in pro- viding essential resources for bees, which in turn provides essential resources and services for humans through edible plant pollination. Ideally, one to three more years of post-restoration inventory work will complete the picture and help SCL understand the impacts of habitat stewardship efforts on pollinators. Conclusion With the Green Line project still underway and data still being collected, it's not clear what the long-term implications of the project may be. That said, we can already look back at the process and the initial years of efforts and draw some inspiring conclusions. We now know what the plant communities on the Green Line look like and how those communities function from an ecological, social, and utility per- spective. We now have insights into how to better enhance those functions through intentional manip- ulation of the plant communities. This insight has the potential to change the way we as utility veg- etation managers look at the ROWs. By catching a glimpse of what our partners see when they look at the ROWs, we can explore the synergies between us that could lead to mutual benefits. We also have a much better understanding of the human communities that live, work, and play in the areas our ROWs cut through. As we develop part- nerships and connections with these communities, we can alter our maintenance models to achieve our operational objectives while drawing more attention, ownership, and a sense of responsibility to the ROW. Social science (and common sense) have shown again and again that people take care of what they value. If we can successfully integrate the Green Line into a community's shared values, then what further opportunities and synergies might arise? What would a community-main- tained ROW look like, and how might that free-up budget for other utility/community priorities? This article originally ran in the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of Utility Arborist Newsline. 26 CityTREES

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