Article submitted by Brendan Addis, Conservation Planner with Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District
To live in the Pacific Northwest is to be surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty. A connection to the outdoors and the natural world that is integrated into the culture of many who call themselves a “Northwesterner”, and it is no surprise given our wealth of unique environments.
Hills covered in dark forests of evergreen, snowcapped mountains, interior prairies and high deserts, bountiful valleys, and rivers braiding it all towards the grand Pacific ocean. The beauty of this piece of Earth doesn’t require a deep understanding of ecology to appreciate. However, a little knowledge and awareness can bring a newfound appreciation to the place we call home for sometimes we overlook the special qualities of this region.
Within the mix of our natural wonders there is a particularly great species of tree, the Oregon white oaks (Quercus garryana). Long overlooking our valleys and rolling hills, these trees make for an iconic silhouette along the horizon. Aside from the noble appearance, many people may not realize the qualities of these trees or that they support an ecosystem only found here, in the Pacific Northwest.
Prior to the conversion of land for farming and development, the Willamette Valley was a vast garden of oak prairies, stewarded by the indigenous nations, tended with cycles of fire and regrowth. The habitat held, and pockets still hold, a unique diversity of plant and animal species found nowhere else.
Species coevolved in a landscape dominated by the keystone oaks. Without these trees a whole system of other species would fade away.
Each Oregon oak tree can support a whole community of other flora and fauna. The structure of the tree, its branches, bark, and hollowed cavities make shelter. The acorns, leaf litter, and associated plants provide food. Species like Acorn woodpeckers, Western gray squirrels, and White-breasted nuthatch, to name a few. Multiple birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects depend on these trees.
With room to host their fellow flora, oaks are surrounded by blue meadows of camas, chocolate lilies and Checkermallow, fruiting saskatoons and wild roses.
The benefit of oak conservation not only protects each tree as an island of habitat itself, but it also creates a ripple effect on the surrounding ecosystem through all the associated species it can support.
While this landscape has been vastly altered, many oaks still stand across the valley, some of them old enough to have stood sentinel to the changes of the last several hundred years.
With oak habitat greatly reduced (estimated at less than 10 percent of the original habitat intact in Oregon) the emphasis on conservation is paramount. They are also slow to grow and need room to establish. Most oaks today are on private property and their future depends on a value of appreciation, resonating among those to share their space with oaks.
With oak habitat greatly reduced (estimated at less than 10 percent of the original habitat intact in Oregon) the emphasis on conservation is paramount. They are also slow to grow and need room to establish. Most oaks today are on private property and their future depends on a value of appreciation, resonating among those to share their space with oaks.
Today these great trees can often reside near and within our community, integrated into the urban landscape of parks and private properties. Living legacies that are unique to our region. A symbol not only of our history, but of the environmental richness that the Pacific Northwest embodies.
We don’t have to work in conservation or environmental efforts to appreciate and support our oak trees. They are a symbol of pride for anyone that calls this place home.
Where we find Oregon oaks, let us steward their continued presence. Where we see fertile ground, let us encourage the growth of new saplings to create the next generation. Where we find space to tell this story, let us share this value and take pride in the Oregon oak. Our oak.
