A Prairie Right-of-Way. Part 1.
This post is the first in a two-part series, where we explore the important role right-of-ways can play in supporting community, native species, and growing a healthy urban forest.
The Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) in Luke Vannice’s right-of-way looked sad, maybe even dead. Most trees and shrubs had leaves by the time we met him for our interview in early spring. But Luke soon explained that the young Garry oaks were in good health. He noted that the species is “slow moving,” and does not put a lot of its energy into prolific foliage but instead focuses on root development for the first few years. In fact, they’re known for being late to bud out, especially when young. We could tell: the trees protruded from the ground like long sticks surrounded by weedy native perennials, annuals, and grasses. But during our time with Luke we learned that growing a native oak prairie habitat on the right-of-way brings biodiversity to the urban forest, and is a source of social and environmental benefits from spring to winter.
Luke is a Hilltop resident, vice president of the Tacoma Tree Foundation Board or Directors, and a landscape architect. In his work and daily life, he thinks a great deal about public spaces and how to make them “meaningful places to be for everybody.”
Photo: Julia Wolf.
Good landscape architecture aims to create urban spaces where people and nature can thrive and benefit from each other. This is why he puts a great deal of thought into how the outdoor spaces he designs will transform year-round as different plants germinate, bud, flower, and senescence. For Luke, assembling a plant palette is like choosing a cast of characters in a movie. Like movies, prairies and meadow gardens have “different characters performing and taking center stage at different times.” He explains that planting design requires thinking about the colors, textures, and forms throughout the season, and how to make those come together “to create a really great piece.” Each season the movie looks different, with stressors such as competition, disturbance, nutrient availability, light, and water creating a new adaption every year.
The cast of spring characters in Luke's right-of-way prairie. Photo: Luke Vannice.
In Luke’s right-of-way, we found an unlikely cast of characters thriving in the urban heart of hilly Tacoma: South Puget Sound prairie species. Once a lush, diverse, contiguous prairie from roughly south of Olympia to east Pierce County, prairie is now one of the most unique habitats in our region, and čaʔadᶻac or Garry oaks are its keystone species. Garry oaks play a crucial role in supporting the health of the ecosystems they inhabit. But their populations have been in decline since the 1800’s due to habitat loss brought on by development and settler colonialism, which introduced disruptive species such as Scotch broom. The latter is an invasive species because it alters the soil composition in such a way that it inhibits the growth of the native camas lily, an essential plant for local Coast Salish foodways. These grassy prairies were preferred due to their relatively easy conversion for pasture or cultivation. As population grew and over-farming reduced land fertility, the relatively flat, free-draining, and treeless landscape seemed ideal for development. The traditional prescribed burns and selective harvests that had allowed the Coast Salish peoples to thrive alongside the prairie were nearly erased. Original caretaking of the land supported Garry oaks and the countless species that benefit from this tree and live in prairies, including rare plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates. Today, their dwindling numbers warn of widespread habitat decline.
In recent years, many biologists, ecologists, and landscape architects like Luke have prioritized restoring native oak prairies, as well as advocating for this plant assemblage, including the Garry oak, into our urban landscape.
Luke’s prairie right-of-way, where three Garry oaks grow, is a manifestation of what happens when we create spaces that are meant to be shared. The prairie right-of-way is a point of connection between him and his neighbors, and between Hilltop residents and nature. He enjoys observing how neighbors interact with the ecology. For instance, in conversations with passersby, they observe how different flowers and foliage attract different kinds of bugs, and practice plant identification. The roughly three-foot tall herbaceous plants below the oaks are head-high to his five-year old neighbors, providing play opportunities rich with wonder and exploration. This landscape also offers an opportunity to find beauty in “weedy plants”, discuss the importance of biodiversity in cities, and consider how these plants will continually offer cooling despite the rising temperatures threatening oaks and other native species.
Luke's young neighbors play in the prairie right-of-way. Photo: Luke Vannice.
For Luke, Garry oaks and the associated South Puget Sound prairie are an example of resiliency: “they thrive in free-draining, sandy, tough, ecologies.” Only 3% of the land area is left—but they persist! They have survived severe loss of habitat over the last few hundred years, and their ability to thrive in harsh soils, such as those found in most right-of-ways, proves their ability to adapt. The Garry oak also reminds us of what we stand to lose if we stop caring for our urban forest and native prairies. No other landscape in our region supports biodiversity like the South Puget Sound prairie, complete with Garry oaks.
So, if your right-of-way or backyard has space for a beautiful native oak that will grow to be 80 feet tall, you can join Luke in supporting native oak prairie habitat resilience at home! And even if you do not have the space for the tree, removing lawn and seeding the ground with annuals, perennials, and grasses is a boon for urban biodiversity.
Five Years in the Growing
Luke received the three Garry oaks that now live on his right-of-way as part of the Grit City Trees program, which provides free trees for Tacoma residents (request your own today!). Receiving this species inspired Luke to begin the project. What he’s done is a great example of how trees can be our landscape design guides if we are willing to find out which plants and animals thrive alongside which trees.
The images below represent the 2019-2024 timeline of his project.* How would you describe the difference between 2019 and 2024? What does the prairie habitat add to Luke’s street and home?
*A close look at the left-hand edge of the photos reveals how the city has changed in this short period of time.
About Luke:
I’m a lover of a good tree-lined sidewalk; a well-connected pedestrian network. I am curious about urban spaces, what makes them desirable, and for whom these spaces feel comfortable. My one wish for Tacoma is for conversations to continue about the many benefits of urban tree canopy. Both my parents were educators: my dad, an industrial arts teacher, and my grandparents were farmers. This connection to practical learning, the craft of making, and working with the land informs my passions today as a landscape architect at Site Workshop on the Hilltop. My practice is centered on designing public spaces that contribute to biodiversity and are for all to learn, play, meet up, grieve, reset, and discover. I’m inspired by horticulture, art, and community activism. In my free time I’m sweeping Commencement Bay on my paddleboard, collaborating on tactical urbanism projects, backyard fires with loved ones, or searching for the best burger in all of Tacoma.
Find the Garry oaks in your neighborhood !
Click to download a PDF of our TREE ID Guide.
Free resources to learn more about Garry oaks and prairies:
Interested in knowing where you can find this tree around the Puget Sound? Check out this map of Garry Oaks.
Young ones can have fun learning about prairie pals, including Garry oaks, with our Nature Explorers curriculum and printable zine.
Watch our Lunch and Learn webinar with Brandon Drucker about Garry oaks and passive open space restoration.
Have a question for Luke about prairies? You can email him at lukev@siteworkshop.net or on Instagram @lucasvannice