Salem, OR – According to the statement, city officials have entered the fourth and final phase of restoration in the Willamette Slough and next week Integrated Resource Management will be planting 12,850 native bareroot plants.

City officials also said that work will begin on Monday, March 20, and continue through Wednesday, March 22, or until all plants are installed.

The work includes site preparation, planting, and installation of beaver fencing in select planting areas.

Over the past three years, the City of Salem and Willamette Riverkeeper have treated the aggressive, invasive Ludwigia, which had gained a stranglehold on the Willamette Slough at Minto Brown Island Park.

Later this year, the slough is scheduled for two final rounds of herbicide treatment for re-emerging Ludwigia. These treatments will likely occur in early July and mid-August. IRM, an experienced, state-licensed habitat restoration company, has been hired to complete the work in accordance with established safety measures.