Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
My backyard forest
Did I tell you there is a forest in my backyard? Behind my fence are twenty-two acres of typical northwest woods with mature Douglas firs, majestic old maples and trails through brush frequented by dogs and their walkers. They form a wonderful backdrop to my yard and permeate everything with fragrance.
Many birds and small mammals call these woods home. There are chickadees, sparrows, wrens, hummingbirds, flickers and jays and juncos. I’ve heard the great horned owl hooting deep in the night and seen the pileated woodpecker stop by for a drink during the day. And then there are the rabbits, and raccoon, and deer who sometimes stop by to say hello.
Not only animals, but young men also play in the forest. I ran wide eyed for cover the first time I saw them rush by in army fatigues. I heard of them later at the hearing where we gathered to fight for the woods. You see, those twenty-two acres have been sold. To a developer. We tried to explain what a loss it would be to the city and neighborhood and to the birds and animals who live there. How the woods should be kept just because. Because they can never be replaced. Because deer feed there without fear. Because woodpeckers build homes inside standing snags. Because boys run and build forts and play army.
Stand near them, walk through them and you will know why.
But we did not prevail. I did not expect we would. They have promised to keep a buffer of trees around the perimeter. We hope they keep their promise. And we hope the trees in the buffer zone are strong enough to stand without their many companions who must come down to make way for the houses.
We have not yet heard the trucks rolling in or the chainsaws doing their deed. We will continue to enjoy this forest in our backyard until we do.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
What tragic news, that such a wonderful natural resource has gone the way of so many others in this world. One day, children will have to look at pictures of woodland, and ask, ‘what was that?’
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you for reading and thank you for your comment. So true. Our neighborhood fought the sale of these woods on environmental grounds but lost.. The local school district owned the land for many years but being unable to build a school there felt to sell and build somewhere else… I understand from their side. The best thing would have been for the city or other non profit to buy and preserve the area. But no interest there. Fortunately we are blessed in the pacific northwest to have pockets of forest here and there as well as several national parks with old growth forest. But there’s nothing like having the woods nearby and part of your daily experience. ~ Susanne
Having only found this blog a year later, I wonder what has happened to your woods? We had the experience of an historic building being purchased by a developer in town, who promised to maintain the integrity of the building: high fences went up … months later not a shred of that building is left! Money is the driving force here, not how future generations can benefit from the past.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, it’s sad to be losing the woods since they can never be replaced. Fortunately for the animals there are other woods nearby that they can migrate to. As of today little has been done but we are expecting the logging to occur at any time. I recently did an update on the story with more pictures. Here is the link. https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com/2017/04/17/tiffany-park-woods-revisited/