Wetland prairies of the Willamette Valley, among the rarest of Oregon’s ecosystems, are threatened by invasion of woody species and non-native pest species. Because fire has been important in maintaining Willamette Valley prairies for at least 1000 years, prescribed burning is a top choice of managers for preventing encroachment of...
Wetland prairies of the Willamette Valley, among the rarest of Oregon’s ecosystems, are threatened by invasion of woody species and non-native pest species. Because fire has been important in maintaining Willamette Valley prairies for at least 1000 years, prescribed burning is a top choice of managers for preventing encroachment of...
Most of the native wetland prairies once found in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA have been converted to agriculture, developed, or altered by disturbance and cessation of burning, especially in the northern portion of the valley. Mitigation efforts by Portland Metro and the NRCS have resulted in restoration of...
Native upland prairies, which once dominated the landscape of the Willamette Valley, are considered among the rarest of Oregon's ecosystems. Even though only remnants remain today, they harbor many rare and endangered species such as the Fender's blue butterfly and its host plant, Kincaid’s lupine. Invasion of remnant prairies by...
Small remnants of 'natural' habitats exist today throughout much of the world. Upland prairies in the Willamette Valley, Oregon have been nearly eliminated by conversion to agriculture and other uses. As a result, very few prairies remain and at least four butterfly species that require this habitat appear to be...
Prior to European settlement, native prairie dominated the landscape of the
Willamette Valley. Today, due to urbanization, agriculture, and the cessation of
burning, only isolated remnants of these grasslands still exist. In response to
conservation concerns, there has been a move to restore the remaining prairies in the
Willamette Valley,...
Fires set by Native Americans were important in shaping and maintaining Willamette Valley prairie plant communities. With fire exclusion after Euro-American settlement in the 1840's, composition of the remaining prairies shifted toward shrub and tree dominance with a concomitant decline in endemic prairie plant populations. I hypothesize that by restoring...
Invasion by exotic species can pose a major challenge for developing native
plant communities in wetland restoration projects. Often native plant communities
do not develop as anticipated in restored wetlands due to colonization by exotic
species that dominate the native plant community. Despite the time and expense to
restore wetlands,...
