Finding Development Sites

What are native plants?

Native plants occur naturally in a region. For example, Douglas-fir is a native plant in much of Western Washington. English holly, on the other hand, is not a native plant in Washington state because it was originally brought here by humans from England.

Non-native plants are often called "exotic plants" or "introduced plants". Occasionally they can become a problem, spreading aggressively and damaging precious wildlife habitat. The damage is sometimes permanent because the plant is impossible to completely remove, and/or the plant emits soil chemicals that keep natives from re-growing

Why use native plants?

The plants native to a region have grown alongside native insects, fungi, plant diseases, wildlife, and other native plants for thousands of years. This long-time association has produced a complex web of inter-relationships, by which the native plant may depend upon numerous other native organisms to survive and flourish, one or many native organisms may, in turn, depend upon that native plant to survive.

In the process, native plants have evolved the ability to attract native animals that benefit them (such as pollinating and seed-dispersing insects and birds), and to repel or survive native organisms that harm them (such as plant viruses and chewing insects).

As a result, native plants often attract a wider variety of native animals than do exotic plants. In addition, the plants native to an area are adapted to growing in that region's soils and climate, and so generally require less maintenance (such as watering and fertilizing) than non-natives.

When is a plant not native?

Using native plants raises important issues about exactly what "native" means. For example, Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), is native to Western Washington. However, it is also native to a number of other places, including Alaska, southern California, Michigan, and Maine! Although they are all the same species, red-osier dogwoods growing naturally in other areas have adapted to a very different combination of climate, soil, diseases, and other plants and animals from what is found in Western Washington. As a result, you could say that dogwoods native to Michigan are about as "native" to Western Washington as palm trees!

Ideally, you want to use plants similar to those that occur naturally nearby. Such plants will be genetically adapted to the climate and soils specific to the area. In addition, using truly native plants will protect local native plants from inter-breeding with similar plants from other regions (which can undermine the local adaptations native plants have developed over time).

Unfortunately, the Red-osier Dogwood sold here in nurseries frequently has been propagated from plants adapted to growing on the East coast. Since most nurseries do not track the origin of their stock, it can be difficult to know what you are getting, and you may prefer to go to a nursery that knows their stock is from our region, or you can grow your own.

Talk to your local planning departments to find out what applications must be filed and what permits issued before development can occur. If you explain to them your interest in removing plants before they are bulldozed, they may be willing to direct you to specific development projects. At the very least, they should be able to tell you when in the permitting process you are most likely to still find salvageable plants.

Once you determine which type of permit application to look at, ask to see the applications. From each application that looks promising, copy down the name, address, and phone number of the person holding the permit, the location of the property, the name, address, and phone number of the owner of the property, and the size and nature of the proposed development. (If the landowner's phone number is not in the file, you can often get that information from the property's tax record in the county assessor's office.)

If there is a particular site that interests you, talk to someone in the planning department to determine how much work has already occurred, and whether they know of any opposition to the project. (You don't want to remove plants before it is certain the development is going to receive all of the necessary permits and actually happen.)

Once you have some addresses in hand, drive by the properties to see whether there is anything worth salvaging. However, DO NOT GO ON THE PROPERTY UNTIL YOU HAVE PERMISSION FROM THE OWNER! If you see plants you are interested in, contact the landowner.

When you call the landowner, be up-front about your interest in salvaging plants. Many landowners will be happy to know some of the plants are going to a good home rather than being destroyed. If the landowner is willing to let you salvage, find out exactly where bulldozing is planned, so you can limit your efforts to those plants actually slated for destruction and avoid removing plants from designated green areas or open spaces. If a contractor or logging operation is already involved, you may also need to talk to them and coordinate your activity so you don't place yourself at risk or interfere with their work.