Bugging You From San Juan Island

I feel compelled to write up a short blog piece this morning before I move on to other tasks of the day. Last week, I tried to address some disturbing misinformation on social media about a native plant in the Pacific Northwest. The plant is a woody evergreen shrub, Gaultheria shallon or Salal. The misinformation is coming from a few folks insisting that Salal burns easily and should be removed in “fire-wising” around your home.

I have some genuine issues around the extreme measures some folks take in fire-wising, as well as the lack of knowledge around the impact these extreme measures have on ecological relationships. The fire-wise practices of removing all forest understory are incredibly destructive.

Removing the understory impacts your forest trees by exposing the soil to drying out much faster, it also removes habitat (shelter and food) for many many species of birds, lizards, flying squirrels, and others. When you pull out Salal, you are taking away an important winter food resource deer browse upon, the berries that feed birds, and the leaves that support the development of our native Brown Elfin Butterly (Callophrys augustinus).

But don’t just take my word on the importance of this native shrub. If you are still concerned about protecting your property, be resourceful and smart about what actions you take. Figure out how to cache enough water over the winter to irrigate around your property and keep things from drying out. Follow local guidelines during burn bans. Use common sense when things start to dry out more in summer/fall. Care a bit about the creatures (including the trees, shrubs, and plants) that call our island home.

For more assistance, see the various resources below. If you don’t still don’t find what you need, our local county conservation district is one of the best places to go for additional help.

References:

Brown Elfin Butterfly (Callophrys augustinus) https://bugguide.net/node/view/3049

Pacific Northwest Native Plants Magic Books (Gaultheria shallon) https://sites.evergreen.edu/nativeplantmagicbook/salal/

Salal, Galtheria shallon . Native Plants PNW http://nativeplantspnw.com/salal-gaultheria-shallon/

San Juan County Conservation District https://www.sanjuanislandscd.org

Fire Resistant Plants for the Puget Sound Basin. King County Forestry Program. https://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/water-and-land/forestry/forestfire/FirewisePlantsPugetSoundBasin-2011.pdf

Wildfire Preparedness San Juan County – https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21430/Wildfire-Fact-Sheet

Washington State DNR – Fire Preparedness. https://www.dnr.wa.gov/firewise