TreeFest returns to White Salmon

TreeFest, with its native plant sale as centerpiece to Saturday’s events, also provide multiple nursery vendors and information booths to raise awareness about local natural resources, as well as kids’ activities.

Marty Hudson, Klickitat County’s Noxious Weed Control board coordinator, was on hand to give presentations about invasive plant species. On display were a variety of invasive plant limbs for visitors to observe, including Tree of Heaven.

The Tree of Heaven species is a particularly noxious species in the Gorge, Hudson said. “It grows about anywhere.”

Native to Asia, its rapid growth and natural host for the Spotted Lanternfly, a new emerging pest, combines to make a deadly outcome for nearby plants, he said.

The county has an education program to inform residents about ways to mitigate invasive species such as the Tree of Heaven.

Also on hand to engage community members was White Salmon CityLab Board member Peter Fink, whose booth’s purpose was to gather information from residents about their perceived barriers to tackling climate change and ways the city can address this important topic.

The CityLab Board has been undergoing a climate action plan that would seek solutions to local climate impacts; Fink noted recent heatwaves and wildfire smoke as two examples of how climate change has impacted local communities.

Fink said discussion from the community on Saturday taught him some residents feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that has been put upon individuals — he noted some residents said money and resources were major barriers to taking action.

“Historically a lot of the focus has been on individual action, when that focus was made from the people who impact our climate the most,” Fink said, noting that for example, Exxon coined the term “carbon footprint” to shift responsibility from major polluters to individuals.

Fink said the city could benefit from collective action, small steps at a time; for instance, the city recently purchased electric leaf blowers as a way to step away from fossil fuels. But a major part of his goal that day was to gather ideas from the public, some of which included providing hummingbird feeders to mitigate drought impacts and installing more walking and biking paths.

Partners included East Cascades Oak Partnership, Columbia Gorge Chapter of Master Gardeners, Klickitat Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Yakama Nation Fisheries Program, Rowena Wildlife Clinic, Humble Roots Nursery, County Noxious Weed Control, City of White Salmon CityLab Board, and the Suksdorfia Chapter of WA Native Plant Society. Live music was provided by local favorite, Richard Tillinghast.

Tova Tillinghast extended gratitude to the volunteers who made the event possible.