Planting Memorial Trees and Celebration Trees in Oregon
Planting Trees in the Forests of Oregon
The Bootleg Fire broke out in southern Oregon on July 6th, 2021. Before being fully contained on August 15th, it burned 413,765 acres of forest, making it the third-largest fire in the history of Oregon. The fire was devastating for the trees and wildlife of Klamath Falls Basin. The basin is a hub for biodiversity, serving as one of the state’s top nesting areas for bald eagles. Widescale reforestation plans are already in motion. For one landowner, that includes a plan to restore more than 70,000 acres of private forestland within the burn scar to its native state over the next several years. The return of this tree canopy will support a wide range of wildlife. Along with providing a home for birds, big game, and small mammals, this project will support one of the largest fish restoration projects in U.S. history. Four dams on the Klamath River are set to be removed in the coming years, opening up 420 miles of habitat for salmon, bull trout, and the endangered Lost River sucker fish. Trees planted in the basin will greatly improve the river’s water quality and help these species thrive well into the future.
Statewide Wildfire Restoration
Deschutes National Forest sits in the Cascade Mountain Range. These majestic peaks rise dramatically above the fast-growing Central Oregon communities of Bend and Sisters, hosting a vibrant outdoor recreation and tourism economy. The water flowing out of these mountains feeds the Deschutes River, a valuable watershed for communities, recreation, and fisheries. Two spectacular streams pour down into this watershed the Metolius River and Whychus Creek each a designated Wild and Scenic River. The Metolius is well-known and much-loved but suffers from heavy recreational use because of its popularity. The lesser-known Whychus has only recently been rediscovered after years of unsustainable irrigation forced the river to dry up before it reached the town of Sisters. As Whychus Creek has been found again, a new wave of uncontained recreation is damaging this ruggedly beautiful watershed. Within these sister watersheds, the NFF is working to address the damage done by recreational use, rejuvenate in-stream fish habitat, treat noxious weeds, reduce wildfire risk, and restore burned areas.
Multiple Fire Restoration of Willamette National Forest and Mt. Hood National Forest
The targeted planting locations in 2023 are Bureau of Land Management lands within 2020 fire areas. In September of 2020, multiple large fires burnt hundreds of thousands of acres in western Oregon. The fires included: Archie Creek, Holiday Farm, Beachie Creek, and Riverside. As a result, a multi-year reforestation effort is needed to rehabilitate the forests. Lands in these areas are managed to primarily benefit resources such as wildlife, fisheries, water, wilderness, botany, recreation, and late successional ecosystems. Fire recovery will be ongoing within these lands for several years with a goal of planting at least 1,762,000 trees in these specific regions of Oregon.
The multiple projects will begin the re-establishment of native forests on government lands. The land will be managed for the benefit of various resources and programs, with long-term benefits reaching far beyond Oregon state forests. Riparian areas will be planted to benefit fisheries and watersheds. Late Successional Reserves (LSR) will be planted to accelerate the return to the ecologic conditions present before the fires and to benefit wildlife species which depended on those ecotypes for survival. Recreation areas will be restored to the conditions enjoyed by the users who frequented them. The targeted species mix will represent that which was historically present. Planting will be implemented and maintained to prevent invasive species establishment.
Oregon Tree Species
Douglas-fir
Sugar Pine
Western Red Cedar
Port Orford Cedar
Western Hemlock
Incense Cedar
Western White Pine.
Planting program information with usage permission provided by One Tree Planted