Park gets the goat

Fairview brings in 240 animals to clear vegetation

By Taryn Luna

The Gresham Outlook, Jun 27, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Contributed photo

Goats graze in Fairview Woods Park.

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To reclaim Fairview Woods Park from 3 acres of overgrown invasive vegetation, the city’s solution didn’t involve tractors, herbicides or dirtying the hands of volunteers. The secret weapon was to call in 240 grazing goats.

After approval from the City Council and the Parks Advisory Committee, the goats were delivered to the park Wednesday, June 17. They cleared the unwanted vegetation, reaching more than 5 feet high in some areas, in four days – nearly a week before anticipated.

“We were expecting them to be there for 10 to 12 days,” said John Gessner, Fairview community development director. “But the woods were not as dense as we thought, and the goats moved through more quickly.”

Formally considered “both invasive and obnoxious” species, Himalayan blackberry and English ivy are the park’s most formidable green foes, Gessner said.

Native to the eastern portion of the world, Himalayan blackberry blocks sunlight from reaching other plants and can cover entire stream channels and ditch banks. English ivy also blocks sunlight and prevents native plant growth by covering the ground. Densely matted, ivy has the ability to kill trees.

Thinning the overgrowth was a far too daunting and time-consuming task for volunteers, despite high turnouts. Herbicides would kill not only invasive plants but native species the city wished to restore. At a cost of $4,700, goats provided a non-toxic, more financially friendly option than the use of mechanical equipment, Gessner said.

“The park was established in 1995 as a natural park with the expectation to be a very low level of maintenance,” Gessner said. Despite a severe ice storm that damaged vegetation, trail infrastructure and interpretive signs, the plan for low maintenance had shifted to 13 years of no maintenance, allowing invasive plant species to take over.

“Both Himalayan blackberry and English ivy are major invasive plant problems in the Portland metro area,” he said.

“Over the last year, we’ve been doing invasive plant removals in the park.”

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