White Oak Conservation Efforts and Suggestions

In the first two installments of this informative piece; the history, significance, and current state of the Oregon white oak has been described. These explanations lead to the question of what we are doing now to conserve what is still surviving of the white oak groves. This final installment will provide information on some of the local organizations who are fighting to preserve this species, as well as some possible suggestions on how conservation may be carried out in the future.

Whenever private landowners are involved in environmental conservation, there are sure to be heated disagreements. And the case of the Oregon white oak is no exception. Less than 1% of oak-dominated habitats in Oregon are protected in designated wilderness, or protected management lands. Due to this fact, any strategies around conservation must largely depend on the willingness and cooperation of private landowners. 

There are clear benefits for private owners to support conservation. Benefits of white oak include wildlife habitat improvement, the opportunity to use native plant species in home landscaping, and reducing forest fire hazards, just to name a few. 

Fig. 1 shows the benefits to private landowners that Oregon white oaks possess

A great program created recently through a partnership between Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has aided in providing resources for these private landowners to best conserve. The partnership’s strategy has helped private landowners restore and manage existing oak habitat in areas of Clackamas County where white oak was historically prominent. Funding has also been provided for those in rural areas to conserve as well.

                      Fig. 2.  Rural areas that have been provided funding by NRCS

There has been a lot of effort by multiple parties to help conserve and bring back the white oak habitats. One of these efforts is the Oak Accord which was led by the Willamette Partnership. The Oak Accord is a voluntary maintenance agreement by private landowners in the Willamette Valley vowing to protect and restore the native oak habitat on their property.

As far as future changes in conservation, I think that we will see increases in voluntary petitions such as the Oak Accord, as people catch on to the intrinsic value these unique trees possess. I think that governmental aid may also help, but it is difficult to tell what the outcome of regulation will play out.

References:

The oak accord—Protecting oregon’s oaks. (n.d.). Willamette Partnership. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://willamettepartnership.org/oak-accord/

Click to access white_oak_guide.pdf

McQueeney, C. (2019, July 15). Oregon white oak restoration and preservation. Clackamas SWCD. https://conservationdistrict.org/2019/oregon-white-oak-restoration-and-preservation.html

 

Click to access white_oak_guide.pdf