In the face of rapid environmental and cultural change, orthodox concepts in restoration ecology such as historical
fidelity are being challenged. Here we re-examine the diverse roles played by historical knowledge in restoration,
and argue that these roles remain vitally important. As such, historical knowledge will be critical in shaping...
We sought to determine 1) the relationship between seedling
establishment rates of target native prairie species and field
levels of three soil nutrients (phosphate, nitrate, and ammonium)
recorded in fall, winter, and summer, 2) the effect of fire on
these three nutrients, and 3) the overall effect of fire on...
This report describes results of baseline monitoring at the Ni-les’tun tidal wetland restoration site, Bandon National Wildlife Refuge, Coquille River estuary of Oregon. Baseline monitoring provides a basis for comparison to post-restoration conditions, allowing future determination of project effectiveness. The report focuses on 2010-2011 baseline data, but it also includes...
Slickspots are soil inclusions with unique loamy soils that provide habitats for many endemic plants worldwide, including those within sagebrush steppe. Sagebrush-dominated communities are declining and require restoration, but restoration techniques commonly used may impact negatively some intermixed communities found on soil inclusions including those on slickspot soils. Slickspot soils...
Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis ssp.
occidentalis Hook) encroachment into mountain big sagebrush
(Artemisia tridentata spp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle)
steppe has reduced livestock forage production, increased
erosion risk, and degraded sagebrush-associated wildlife
habitat. Western juniper has been successfully controlled
with partial cutting followed by prescribed burning the next
fall, but the...
Streams make up only one percent of the watershed. Nonetheless, they are an essential component to watershed health. Streams are home to wildlife and fish. Well-functioning streams contribute to water quantity and quality. And streams play an important role in flood and erosion control.
Restoration to achieve Stage 0 is a valley-scale, process-based (hydrologic, geologic and biological) approach that aims to reestablish stream depositional environments to maximize longitudinal, lateral, and vertical connectivity at base flows and facilitate development of dynamic, self-formed and self-sustaining wetland-stream complexes. The term Stage 0 originally described complex multi-channel conditions...
Relatively recent increases in ponderosa pine abundance have effected unprecedented changes to ecosystem structure and function. Efforts to restore ponderosa pine systems are often focused on the manipulation of tree structure and the re-introduction of a more natural fire regime. Successful restoration should also incorporate understory components but information addressing...
Biological plant invasions are diminishing the ecological integrity and function of ecosystems worldwide. A primary example of this is in the Great Basin of the United States, where invasive annual grasses, like cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae L. Nevski), are dominating many sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. In these invaded...
Riparian ecosystems play numerous and essential roles related to the quality and
flow of water, and food/habitat for fish, and varieties of wildlife. Due to lateral and linear linkages throughout the landscape, these zones influence the integrity of the terrestrial as well as the entire aquatic-riverine ecosystem. Since Euro-American settlement...
Within the sagebrush steppe ecosystem, invasive annual grasses are of growing management concern as they outcompete native vegetation, change the fundamental nutrient cycling processes, decrease biodiversity, and increase frequency of wildfires. The most widely used and effective management tool to decrease invasive annual grass abundance, is the use of pre-emergent...
Riparian vegetation is an essential component for the maintenance and/or repair of channel stability and function. Sedges within low-gradient riparian systems provide the structure necessary for sediment trapping leading to channel narrowing through bank building processes. Planting success in riparian restoration projects has often failed due to inappropriate species selection,...
Increased demands on our coastal ecosystems, due to increased
development, over-fishing and population growth are threatening many
environmental goods and the amenities associated with these well
functioning ecosystems. Few to no markets exist for ecosystem services,
such as those provided by healthy sea grass beds or water quality benefits
associated...
Reducing the cover of non-native species is one of the challenges of ecosystem restoration. The goal of this study is to identify native species traits that will increase native species cover and reduce non-native species cover in the first growing season at upland and wetland prairie restoration sites. Native and...
The practice of modern silviculture on U.S. public lands has been stymied by a legacy of litigation and policy changes since the late 20th century. Forestry in the 1980s was focused on physical science strategies and failed to consider the social complexities of multi-use forest management. Emblematic of the challenges...
The Willamette Valley (Oregon) Prairie Plant Trait Dataset is a compilation of plant traits of species important in upland prairies, wetland prairies, vernal pools, and emergent wetlands, and in the restoration of prairies and wetlands of the Willamette Valley of Oregon. These species are also found widely throughout the Pacific...
"This report is organized as follows. First, the
objectives and methods used are outlined. Background
information follows, including what is known about the
extent, past alterations, and condition of wetlands in
Oregon today; the status of wetland restoration in the U.S.
and in Oregon; definitions of important terms; the functions...
The widespread fragmentation, channelization, and simplification of river ecosystems has had acute environmental impacts, including degradation of water quality and habitat and biodiversity loss (Vörösmarty et al., 2010). These concerns have incited an increased focus on reestablishing ecological and hydrogeomorphological functions and improving habitat that has been lost in riverine...