Park Stewardship San Mateo; Visit 3

Today we volunteered at Milagra Ridge in San Mateo County. At Milagra Ridge we initially started off by de-rooting and killing the nearby pine trees. Pine trees are not native to Milagra Ridge. These pine trees grow in clusters and release many nettles that cover the ground and prevent other species from growing. Because we were unable to remove the large pine trees, we primarily focused on saplings and small trees. To kill the trees we either directly pulled them out of the ground or we used tools. These tools include clippers and hand saws for the older saplings. After, we removed many mustard plants. Mustard plants are not native either and can spread easily which takes up the space that native plants could have grown in instead. By attending this volunteering event, I was able to learn more about the plants native to the San Mateo county and the ecosystem that makes up the land. The balance between native and non-native species is very delicate and is something that we were restoring.