After the Ashes: Commemorating Eugene’s Amazon Park Ash Groves in the Wake of Emerald Ash Borer

Abstract

In the wake of destruction from the Emerald Ash Borer beetle, the transformation of Amazon Park’s Ash Groves honors one of Eugene, Oregon’s most beloved wetland priority sites while restoring pre-colonial camas meadow conditions. Advocating for a mixed solution of ash tree treatment and wetland adaptation, After the Ashes provides an ecologically sensitive approach that balances visitor engagement with habitat needs. A boardwalk offers commemorative moments while a memorial ash grove invites visitors to pause and reflect on previous conditions. Rich in character and unobtrusive in form, After the Ashes offers a resilient future that remembers its past.