Chimacum Ridge Community Forest by Tim Lawson.
Greetings from Chimacum Ridge Community Forest!
It’s been wonderful to see so many visitors in the forest this winter — walking their dogs, taking photos, and pausing to enjoy the coastal fog through the trees. And as a member of the forest management team, it’s been heartening to hear your continued enthusiasm for this project. As a shared landscape for sustainable timber, recreation, and wildlife habitat, this community forest thrives because of people like you who value it. And with that shared stewardship comes shared responsibility.
One of the ongoing challenges we face together is reducing the impact of noxious weeds.
Have you ever wondered why certain plants receive special attention in land management?
Wild basil at Chimacum Ridge.
The term “weed” is a catch-all for vegetation that’s unwanted or undesirable where it’s growing. There is also a legal designation of “noxious weeds,” which refers to plants that require control as determined by the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. In most cases, noxious weeds are non-native to the region they impact.
Noxious weeds are considered harmful for several reasons:
Classifying certain plants as noxious weeds helps land managers prioritize prevention and response efforts. This brings us back to Chimacum Ridge.
Currently, a noxious weed is present along the upper loop trail at Chimacum Ridge Community Forest. The species in question is wild basil (Clinopodium vulgare), a perennial in the mint family. It’s a Class B noxious weed, meaning we’re required by the state to manage and suppress it.
Illustration of wild basil by Slater Sorensen.
Wild basil is a problem species because it’s not native to the Pacific Northwest and does not fill a beneficial ecological role. It can spread quickly through forest groundcover, displacing native grasses and forbs (herbaceous flowering plants). Wild basil reproduces by seed and through rhizomes that spread widely underground. As a frost-resistant species, it can continue growing while other plants are taking their winter naps.
The plant flowers in the summer and can be identified by its five-lobed pink flowers, which emerge from a hairy seed head on a hairy stem. We invite you to take time to familiarize yourself with the plant. Your knowledge will help protect and steward the community forest, as well as your own yard and neighborhood.
Planning to visit Chimacum Ridge Community Forest this spring? Here’s how you can help!
Wild basil spreads easily through human activity. Seeds and plant material can cling to muddy bicycle and stroller tires, as well as shoes and pants, and then drop later in unintended places. As we work to address this infestation, it’s important for visitors to avoid spreading it further into the forest or bringing it home to their own gardens and landscapes.
Part of our current strategy is to make it easier for visitors to clean their shoes before entering or leaving the forest. Boot brush stations are being installed this month to help remove seeds and plant material before entering and after leaving Chimacum Ridge.
Please do your part to keep this plant contained to the trail edge so it doesn’t spread further.
In the meantime, our forest management team is actively evaluating methods to control this infestation. Chimacum Ridge Community Forest is managed to protect habitat biodiversity and reduce the impacts of noxious weeds.
