The Portland Timbers and Hands On Greater Portland stewardship volunteers pay Tryon Creek a visit

Stewardship volunteers from the Timbers and Hands On strike a pose before hitting the trail

 The forest at Tryon Creek State Natural Area is continually under siege from the threat of invasive species, particularly English ivy. To help fight the continuous battle against invasives, The Friends of Tryon Creek invite volunteers to come to the park and participate in stewardship activities around the year. On August 7th, 2013, an army of stewardship volunteers from the Portland Timbers and Hands On Greater Portland descended upon Tryon Creek, donned work gloves, rolled up their sleeves and hit the trail.

Master Stewardship Guide Phil Hamilton shows group where they will be pulling ivy

 As the group prepared to leave the Nature Center, cross the creek and pull ivy near the Cedar Trail, the Friends' Master Stewardship Guide Phil Hamilton explained about the trail and some potential but unlikely hazards (such as an errant bee or loose soil). The Timbers' and Hands On volunteers ventured safely to the work site.

Phil shares information on tree plantings with volunteers

 Along the way Phil stopped to point out both a caged cedar and a cedar stump cut by a beaver. In about 20 years, the alders in the area will die of old age: the cedars were planted to establish future shade in their place.


This English ivy pile continues to grow... and grow... and grow...

The forest at Tryon Creek benefited from the great efforts of the Portland Timbers and Hands On Greater Portland stewardship volunteers: their hard work resulted in the removal of approximately 30 - 40 yard debris bags' worth of English ivy.

The Timbers' awesome mascot, Timber Joey, shakes hands with a young fan on the Cedar Trail

On a side note, the battle against English ivy is ongoing. With the help of countless volunteers, the Friends have cleared 200 acres of Tryon Creek State Natural Area's 670 forested acres. However, all it takes is for a single bird to leave a single ivy berry behind for the plant to take root and grow a Jack-in-the-beanstalk-style vine that chokes healthy trees and damages the tree canopy. The Friends can't fight invasives alone - we need your help to keep the forest alive and well. Please consider joining us for a Stewardship Saturday work party, or call Stewardship Coordinator Sarah Kreisman at 503-636-4398 to get involved with other opportunities to protect and support Tryon Creek.