How One Greenway Site is Sequestering Carbon and Feeding Gorillas

What do gorillas, grasshoppers, and Airbnb have in common? To find the answer, you must come on a journey to Ballinger Open Space, one of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust’s most unique restoration sites.

From Pulling Blackberry to Growing a Native Forest

Ballinger Open Space is a 2.6-acre green space in the northeast corner of Shoreline, tucked near the nexus of I-5 and I-405. Before Greenway Trust crews and volunteers began our work in 2018, the site had little tree canopy and was carpeted in ivy, blackberry, and other weeds. Ballinger Creek runs through the area, and the lack of native vegetation meant more runoff, erosion, and flooded drainages which flow into Lyons Creek, a salmon–bearing stream, then to Lake Washington, and ultimately to Puget Sound.

Over the past eight years, we’ve been steadily changing that. Our restoration team has removed weeds and planted more than 2,800 native trees and shrubs. As those plants grow, they’re creating a healthier urban forest by storing carbon, providing shade and habitat, improving air and water quality, and helping manage stormwater.

After

Before Weed Removal

Making History

For such a small site, Ballinger Open Space has been making some big waves. In 2021, the Greenway Trust worked with City Forest Credits to verify the tree plantings and develop carbon credits through their registry – a first-of-its-kind initiative for our organization. Then, in 2022, the credits were sold as part of the largest single urban forest carbon credit purchase in history!

And now, there’s another reason to celebrate: Airbnb has purchased the most recent round of carbon credits as part of their $1 million investment in Washington’s public lands.

The Long Game

Airbnb’s investment helps fund the long-term stewardship this site needs. Restoration doesn’t end when a tree goes in the ground. We must keep coming back to control weeds, monitor the growing forest, care for young plants, and make sure the restoration succeeds over time. That’s why our organization is committed to caring for Ballinger Open Space through 2046!

While we may still have a long way to go, we’re already seeing a difference. Native shrubs, deciduous trees, and conifers are growing taller and denser, gradually filling in areas that were once dominated by blackberry and other weeds. The weeds haven’t exactly surrendered (have you met a blackberry plant?!), but as the native plants mature, their shade will help suppress many of the species we’ve been battling, helping to tip the scale further in our favor.

The carbon benefits are significant, too. City Forest Credits’ carbon quantification tool projects that the Ballinger plantings will store approximately 2,200 tons of carbon over 25 years: the equivalent of taking about 475 cars off the road for a year.

Airbnb’s support also helps make it possible to bring the surrounding community into the restoration process. Since 2022, we’ve hosted education and volunteer events at the site and provided opportunities for young people to learn about restoration and environmental stewardship. We’ve also continued returning with our restoration crews to care for the site year after year.

So, About Those Gorillas?

As if carbon sequestration isn’t cool enough – some of the blackberry we remove from Ballinger Open Space is getting a second life. Well, kind of. We have been donating it to the Woodland Park Zoo, where it becomes a snack for gorillas and Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers!

We already know what you’re wondering: do they just eat the berries? No! Believe it or not, they can eat the entire plant, thorns and all. In fact, during the summer, the gorillas can go through four to five overflowing, tightly packed trash bins full of blackberry per day. Since mid-May, we’ve made six blackberry deliveries to the zoo so far and plan to continue the initiative.

Ballinger is still a work in progress, and that’s the point! A forest takes time. With continued care and investment, the trees we’ve planted will keep growing, storing carbon, shading out weeds, supporting wildlife, and creating a greener, more resilient place for generations to come.

The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust has been committed to stewarding this landscape for more than 35 years, and we’ve seen firsthand what kind of transformation is possible with long-term investment. We are so grateful for the partners and supporters like Airbnb that are willing to step up today to help create a better future.

Do you want to be part of positive change in your community? Consider making a donation to support projects like this or sign up to volunteer!