9-02-2026 11:14am

Local Site Sequestering Carbon and Feeding Gorillas

Chris Clasen Editor

About Us
Blog How One Greenway Site is Sequestering Carbon and Feeding Gorillas

August 27, 2026

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.

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!