Oregon Oak Communities Working Group

Meeting Notes May 11, 2004

Fort Lewis, Washington

Announcements:

            Hugh Snook announced forthcoming publication of Landowner’s Guide for Managing and Restoring Oregon White Oak Habitats this fall.  Also described a Oregon white oak inventory being conducted on BLM land and adjoining private lands in Western Oregon.  In 2005, the inventory will be extended to the Columbia Gorge.

            Jane Kertis announced that our website is well underway.  www.oregonoaks.org

            Patti Haggerty reminded all that the list serve housed at OSU’s College of Forestry can be subscribed to by sending a message to: majordomo@cof.orst.edu.  In the body of the message, type: subscribe_or_oak.

Program:  Oak restoration in the South Puget Trough

Dave Peter, USDA Forest Service, Olympia Forest Sciences Lab:  Ecological Context –

  South Puget Sound prairie and oak woodland:

· In pre-settlement conditions approx. 150,000 acres

· Now 20,300 acres

· Only 3,000 acres of that remains with native vegetation

· A result of agriculture, urbanization, and forest succession.

These habitats require disturbance to remain in early seral vegetation.  Successional pathways: Douglas-fir overtops, then a catastrophic fire kills any remaining native spp. Climax closed conifer is result of most pathways except frequent fire.

Ft. Lewis: air photo comparison (1942 vs 1999) readily show progression to conifer.  The slowest sites to convert are dry glacial outwash, so most remaining oak & prairie on this type.  Now maintained on Ft. Lewis by frequent fire (Rx fire or artillery fire). 

Pat Dunn, The Nature Conservancy:  Glacial Heritage Preserve -

  The Site is a Thurston Co. park, acquired 12 years ago, but not open to the public.  It contains 1,100 acres of prairie, forest and riparian. 

Pat introduced Dan Grosball, the Preserve Manager, Peter Dunwhitte, TNC Fire Ecologist, and Eric Delvin, Restoration Ecologist.

Most of the site was prairie.  Pat pointed out the conifer invasion on the site.  Over 10,000 trees (DF and LPP) have been cut in the last several years.  ‘Mima’ mounds on the landscape are a result of glacial outwash.   Riparian oak can be found along the Black River.   Missing from this mosaic is wet prairie – none remains. 

There are 5 ESA candidates in the area:

• Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly
• Mardon skipper butterfly
• Western gray squirrel
• Streaked horned lark
• Mazama pocket gopher
• Golden paintbrush is already ESA listed: an experimental pop. exists here.

Scots broom control:  the shrubs were very tall and dense on the prairie when TNC began control 8 years ago, with the objective of restoring meadow structure.  Several techniques are being used:

• Cutting: older shrubs
• Mowing: sprouts
• Burning: sprouts
• Pulling:  sprouts and isolated plants
• Herbicide: using new “carpet wiper” or weedsweep, or Roto-wiper applying Roundup (glyphosate).  Trying these appl. Methods and Spring vs. Fall appl., and glyphosate vs. garlon.  Also using ‘post’ and ‘fuselade’: grass-specific herbicide that kills annual grasses, leaving fescues, carex and luzula.  Does remove native Danthonia, Koelaria, & others, however, so they must be replanted.  Multiple applications necessary. 

We viewed areas of burning and herbicide treatment,  and areas of replanted natives (plugs).

Rachel Maggi, NRCS, Vancouver: Incentives Programs

Rachel distributed information on several programs:

• Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP): Oak and prairie are highest priority.  22 sites currently funded in W. WA.  Am. Bird Cons. bird hab. map is a key to focus on prime restoration zones. Ranking criteria used to prioritize projects are subject to change.  Program incl. 75% cost share, 5-10 yr. contract.  May include many aspects, weed control, planting, oak release. 
• Wetland Reserve Program (WRP): Easements or cost-share program.
• Env. Quality Incentives Pgm ((EQIP): 75% cost share, local groups define eligible practices.
• Cons. Reserve Enhancement Pgm.: a buffer program for streams, includes planting of trees, both conifer and oak.

Rachel distributed a map showing the many active restoration sites in the Puget Lowlands, and directed us to the website for more info:  www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov

Warren Devine, USDA Forest Service, Olympia Forest Sciences Lab, Oak Regeneration:

Warren and others at the Oly Lab have been involved in researching methods of augmenting natural regeneration of oak.  We viewed a site on the Glacial Heritage Preserve. Several techniques are being tested/compared:

• Appl. of 4’x 4’ perforated plastic weedblock
• Tree tubes to reduce wildlife browse and modify temp/humidity
• Fertilization
• Planting date
• Mesh browse shelters
• Irrigation

Planting stock was generally sown in tree pot and outplanted after 2 yrs. 

Seedling ht. growth of 10 cm/yr is typical, root growth greatly exceeds it early on.

The Oly Lab is collecting info on a variety of techniques throughout the PNW thru the oak regeneration survey – all are encouraged to participate to increase general knowledge.

Some studies show high seedling mortality on harsh sites w/o shade.  There is anecdotal info on shade from trees or shrubs facilitating survival. 

Eric Delvin, TNC, Oak Release:

On the Glacial Heritage site, there are about 400 ac. of Douglas-fir forest here, and some of that includes savanna and riparian oak that are overtopped.  One site is currently planned for treatment this year– about 4 acres of oak release (oak are 10-40 cm dbh).  75 acres, total will be logged. 

Understory will be managed to create the same understory as other riparian oak sites.  An influx of non-natives is expected.  These will be combated, natives will be monitored and treatments developed.  Will potentially use Rx fire.

Chris Chappel, Ecologist, Washington Natural Heritage Pgm., Oak Dominated Plant Associations in Western Washington:

Chris notes that these classifications are not potential vegetation, but plant communities of existing vegetation.  More info on oak plant associations can be found by searching on QUGA in the www.natureserve.org/explorer website. The six associations Chris sees in Western WA:

1. Oak/Roemer’s fescue (QUGA/FERO), a savanna type – now v. rare, only 2 known sites in good cond., most now dominated by Douglas-fir.
2. Oak/Long-stolon sedge/Common camas (QUGA/CAIN/CAQU), a woodland type found on deep but coarse-textured soils.
3. Oak/Common Snowberry/Long-stolon sedge (QUGA/SYAL/CAIN), a woodland or forest type, snowberry often dominates understory due to fire exclusion.
4. Oak/Oregon ash/Common snowberry (QUGA/FRLA/SYAL), a riparian or wetland type.  Not all contain ash.
5. Oak/Oval-leaf viburnam/Poison-oak (QUGA/?/TODI), a forest & woodland type found on very shallow soils, limited to the Columbia River area.
6. Oak/Douglas-fir/Common Snowberry/Sword fern (QUGA/PSME/SYAL/POMU), a woodland and forest type, most of them are well on their way to converting to conifer.

At our afternoon visit to Fort Lewis sites we will see examples of #2, #3, and #6.

Jeff Foster, Ecologist, Fort Lewis Forest Management Program:

The forestry program at Ft. Lewis is guided by several documents or plans:

• Forest Management Strategy (established goals are to develop/maintain late-successional forest, maintain/restore native biodiversity, and maintain low risk of catastrophic fire).
• Oregon White Oak Management Plan
• FSC certification for sustainability

There is an annual (self-supporting) timber sale program of approx. 2,000 acres/8-10 MMBF.

Variable density thinning is the main harvest prescription, designed to create some canopy gaps.

Ecological restoration of oak woodland/savanna and ponderosa pine savanna (these are the largest stands of west-side pine in Washington) are a key component.  Managed in cooperation with the USDA Olympia Forest Sciences Lab and TNC.

Fort Lewis Field Sites: Joe Reasonor, Fort Lewis Fire Management Staff: Prescribed Fire for Managing Oak Habitat at the Fort:

Fires in the artillery range have been occurring for the last 40-60 years.  About 40% of the range burns each year.  Prescribed fire began in oak stands in 1987, and in pine stands in 1992.  The original purpose was to keep artillery fires within the impact area.  About 1,200 acres are burned/yr of the 87,000 acres.  Prairies and artillery impact area comprise about 9,000 acres.  Oak are found on about 2,000 acres.  Pine occupies a few hundred acres.

Burning is done in the Spring, beginning in February or March, all the way thru July.  Fall burns may be safely done after initial fall rains.  Hotter burns are preferred to kill Scot’s broom.

Endangered butterflies occupy the artillery range.  The effects of burning are not altogether known, but the assumption is that since the range burns so often, that must be beneficial.  Multiple burns within the same year are probably less beneficial.  Can’t safely monitor populations due to artillery fire.

Some negative effects from frequent fires appear to be an increase in oxeye daisy, annual grasses, Kentucky blue grass, and a decrease in native bunchgrasses.

R. Vetten thesis and research by Scott Pearson has some info on this.  Dave Peter has collected pre-and post-burn vegetation data at Ft. Lewis.

Dave Peter, USDA Forest Service, Olympia Forest Sciences Lab, Acorn Study and Ft. Lewis Prescribed Burning:

The oak acorn production study is now in its 5^th year, includes 1,400 trees monitored for annual production.  They range from Vancouver Island to the California border.  Information is submitted by 55 volunteers, and 21 agencies.  Acorn production is characterized in four levels and information submitted annually over the region.  Anyone is encouraged to participate, information is available on the USDA Forest Service PNW lab website.  423 subject oaks are on Ft. Lewis.

So far, results show the following correlations:

• Increases with late Spring/early Summer precip.
• Increases with Summer water – riparian areas show greatest production
• Increases with open grown conditions/lack of crown competition
• Increases under cultivated conditions: pasture, irrigation, fertilization
• Increases on warmer sites
• Decreases in wetland
• Decreases in rocky soil
• Decreases in woodland/forest setting

Fire Response in Oak

In Fall, the bud contains all next year’s oak leaf buds and flowers, insulated by fuzz and scales.  The male flower primordia are most vulnerable to heat damage. Female flower is the most protected.  Bud mortality occurs at 150-300 degrees C.  Prescribed burns are done at the cool/moderate range of conditions.  From thermocouples placed in trees, it was found that all temps up to 3.5 m were <70 degrees C.  Therefore, no bud mortality, but many male flowers were lost and some decrease seen in female flowers.  Buds at the tree top @ 30 degrees C maximum were affected, perhaps from ethylene in smoke – which increases dormancy and vulnerability to winter temps.

In general, underburning increases acorn production over no burning, with increases discernable up to 13 years later.  Grass understory provides a fairly consistent burn intensity, but shrub understory much less so.

Viewed a recent underburn.  Patchy burn pattern, did not carry where grass is lacking.  One tree killed as a result of a basal scar that induced rot and the punky wood was able to hold fire and smolder, killing cambium.  Perhaps this was a way that thinning of older trees resulted from fire.

Fire increases sprouting of Scots broom.  Repeated burning depletes the sprout bank.  However, mowing and burning can have less effect because the mowing often reduce fire mortality.

Connie Harrington USDA Forest Service, Olympia Forest Sciences Lab, also led a tour of one of the oak release study sites.    In this ongoing study, competing trees were removed within a range of radii around target trees and indicators of oak response are being measured.  

9/30/04  H. Snook