The Yellowstone of the Northwest

**Part 1 of our Oregon Virtual Field Trip series

We start our tour around Oregon in the ecoregion very familiar to the majority of Oregonians: the Willamette Valley. Nestled between the Coast Range and the Cascades and bounded by the Columbia River to the north, these 5,308 square miles are home to more than 70% of our state’s population and our 6 largest cities and that population is expected to double by 2050.

With so many urban and suburban areas it is sometimes easy to look past the wild that surrounds us all every day.

If I were to ask you what this region’s iconic tree is… what would you say?

If you answered Douglas-fir, I challenge you to consider you that it really should be the Oregon White Oak!

The Willamette Valley was once mostly an oak savanna. A mosaic of prairie and grassland with  Oregon White Oak or Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) as the dominant habitat tree in the valley.  It was home to an abundant  wildlife diversity of elk, deer, grizzly bear, wolves, cougars and condors.

Native American inhabitants of the Kalapuya tribe feasted on camas bulbs, deer and salmon in this region and helped to maintain the presence of the oak savanna by frequently burning the undergrowth and young trees.

This process allowed the canopy of the trees to remain open, something mature oaks need for survival. It also kept the more dense groves of encroaching Douglas-fir limited to foothills of the mountain ranges. Willow, alder and cottonwood stands hugged the river floodplains and wetland areas.

The Decline of the Oak Savanna

American settlers arrived and suppressed fire to most of the valley converting oak savanna to agricultural land. Without fire to limit the undergrowth, the savanna reverted to the current closed-canopy Douglas-fir forests we know today.

Sadly, today less than 5% of the oak savanna habitat remains compared to 150 years ago.  Mount Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene is an excellent location to view a preserved section of the remaining oak savanna, one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the entire United States. 

Learn more, Do more

Check out these resources that are helping to restore this amazing species and ensure the survival of the next generation of Oregon’s Tree.

Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District – Oregon White Oak Restoration and Preservation

Willamette Partnership – The Oak Accord

BLM Landowner’s Guide for Restoring and Managing Oregon White Oak

Other Nature-based Recreational Areas

Know of a great place to explore? We love finding new places to add to our ever growing list of adventures. Comment below with your best nature spots in the Willamette Valley.