By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Himalayan blackberries make a tasty snack, but they're no treat for forests where they grow and take over. A crew of young adults and military veterans spent most of August removing the overbearing blackberry bushes that had grown around trees in Bresemann Forest in Spanaway. The blackberry war was waged to spare the trees and nearby Spanaway Creek from the effects of the marauding plants. Invasive, non-native plants such as Himalayan blackberry and English ivy, another growth that was targeted in the forest last month, can be detrimental to the health of forests. As they compete for water and nutrients, the unwanted plants can crowd out native plants and sometimes kill trees. Once the bad flora is gone, the trees will grow stronger, according to organizations that organized the forest-saving project at the 70-acre forest next to Sprinker Recreation Center. A Puget SoundCorps team spent three weeks working in the woods, starting Aug. 4. Puget SoundCorps employs young adults and veterans who build job skills by working on urban forestry restoration projects through the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "Trees provide many benefits and help keep our streams, rivers and Puget Sound clean," said Micki McNaughton, a special-projects coordinator for DNR. He said the work of the Puget SoundCorps team will help "keep our trees and waterways healthy." Spanaway Creek, which is adjacent to Bresemann Forest, flows into Spanaway Lake. The creek has been monitored by Pierce County and state water-quality officials because of low dissolved oxygen and high temperatures discovered in the stream in 2011. In addition to its ecological role, the county-owned Bresemann Forest is a source of recreation for walkers or joggers with trails that wind through the woods, starting at a wrought-iron gate on the west side of Sprinker's parking lot near the climbing rock. The forest is the second county area in the past two years to benefit from Puget SoundCorps' elbow grease. Last year, a crew removed invasive plants from Swan Creek Park, said Dan Wrye, the county's manager of water quality and wetlands. Himalayan blackberries are a European species that were introduced in the Pacific Northwest for their juicy, large fruit but have become highly invasive and hard to control, officials said. The thickets are recognizable by large, thick thorns on arching stems that can grow 15 feet high and 40 feet long. The plants also have small white or pink flowers.
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