1 IF )gical Provinces Oregon A treatise on the basic ecological geography I of the state 4 Jill 1998 i 1110 E. William Anderson, Michael M. Borman, and William C. Krueger cr, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station 11 -tp . ll--, l s6Zl.tZ4 May 1998 SR 990 $40.00 I Front cover: Stratified ancient geological formation typical of John Day Ecological Province, Oregon. Back cover: Overview of Snake River Ecological Province, looking north- west across the Malheur Reservoir area into the extensive, light-colored ancient lake lacustrine landforms that typify Snake River Ecological Province, Oregon. Opposite: View of Mt. Thielsen over snow-covered pumice desert as seen from Crater Lake in Mazama Ecological Province, Oregon. All photos by E. William Anderson. The Ecological Provinces of Oregon A treatise on the basic ecological geography of the state By E. William Anderson, Michael M. Borman, and William C. Krueger Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station May 1998 This publication synthesizes over 40provinces for Oregon. This is a years of study by E. William (Bill) prime example of having the right Anderson and his co-workers. person in the right positions at the Oregon is extremely fortunate that right times and for the duration of Bill Anderson was the Chief of time necessary to develop a suffi- Party for the initial range surveys in cient understanding of these re- the late 1930s and that he remained sources to produce this document. in Oregon for the rest of his career. All of us working with natural Since his retirement, Bill has resources in Oregon owe Bill a continued to study Oregon's re- tremendous debt of gratitude. sources and to develop the concept WILLIAM C. KRUEGER and descriptions of ecological MICHAEL M. BORMAN Authors E. WILLIAM ANDERSON retired in 1994 from the Renewable Natural 1974 as Oregon State Range Resources Foundation. Conservationist for USDA Soil MICHAEL M. BORMAN is Extension Conservation Service. He is a Rangeland Resources Specialist, certified range management con- Department of Rangeland Re- sultant and a charter member, life sources, Oregon State University. member, fellow, and past president He also has had experience as a (1962) of the Society for Range range consultant, as a range scientist Management, which awarded him for the Agricultural Research its highest honor, the Frederic G. Service, and as a range ecologist for Renner Award, in 1979. He also is the National Biological Service. a charter member, life member, and fellow of the Soil and Water Con- WILLIAM C. KRUEGER 1S Professor servation Society. His awards and and Head, Department of Rangeland honors include the Agricultural Hall Resources, Oregon State University. of Fame Award in 1986 from the He has 30 years of research experi- College of Agricultural Sciences, ence in grazing ecology and range- Oregon StateUniversity,and the land restoration. SustainedAchievement Award in Acknowledgments Over the years, the following Range conservationists: Fred people in the USDA Soil Conserva- Greenfield, Duane Town, Eugene tion Service made major contribu- Hickman, and David Franzen. tions to formulating the ecological Soil scientists: George Green, Elmer province concept by helping to Hill, Burrell Lovell, Joe Cahoon, characterize and delineate lines of Grant Lindsay, Eugene Dyksterhuis, demarcation between ecological and William Powers. provinces out on the land and by State administrators: Harold Tower, allowing this activity in Oregon. Tom Helseth, and A. J. Webber. ii Ecological Provinces of Oregon Contents Authors and Acknowledgements ........................................................ ii Province Map ..................................................................................... iv Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 Prologue .............................................................................................. 2 Definitions and Abstracts ................................................................... 3 Province Descriptions Blue Mountain ................................................................................ 5 Cascade ......................................................................................... 14 Coast ............................................................................................. 21 Columbia Basin ............................................................................ 28 High Desert ................................................................................... 38 Humboldt ...................................................................................... 47 John Day ....................................................................................... 52 Klamath ........................................................................................ 63 Mazama ........................................................................................ 86 Owyhee ......................................................................................... 94 Palouse .......................................................................................... 98 Siskiyou ...................................................................................... 100 Snake River ................................................................................ 109 The Dalles ................................................................................... 115 Willamette ................................................................................... 121 References ...................................................................................... 130 Appendices and Supplements Figures .......................................................................................... 69 Common-name Checklist of Plants ............................................ 133 Index of Tables ........................................................................... 138 Province Map........................................................inside back cover Ecological Provinces of Oregon iii A S H I NOREGONG T A C A L I F 0 R N I A N E V A D A K. WilliamECOLOGICAL Anderson . MichaelOREGON M. PROVINCESBorman - William C. Krueger Introduction N ECOSYSTEM'S PROCESSES Monitoring efficiency, data interpreta- provinces in the characteristics of soils function on a variety of tion, and detection of trends in impor- and vegetation on north-facing slopes. Atemporal and spatial scales. tant ecological attributes can all be Demarcation between provinces in Planning and management likewise improved if monitoring is organized Oregon is quite distinct in some loca- must be on a relatedscale.For manage- based on ecological provinces. tions, as between the John Day and mentpurposes,it is important to under- Within Oregon, the ecological prov- Columbia Basin provinces along the stand the concepts of ecological sites inces described in this publication breaks of a large rocky plateau near and ecological provinces-areas within stratify the natural variation that exists Clarno (Fig. 1) and also between the which there is relative similarity in across watershed basins and political John Day and High Desert provinces resourcetype, quality,quantity, and boundaries such as counties, national north of Hampton (Fig. 2). At other associations.This publication describes forests, and Bureau of Land Manage- locations, the line of demarcation is Oregon's ecological provinces and lists ment districts. Although monitoring is broad and transitional, as in an area referencesfor furtherinformation. essential to detect trends toward or away near Kinzua where a mixture of An ecological site is a local combinationfrom management goals, it is often forested soils representing both the of certain soils, climate, topography, neglected due to budget constraints. John Day and Blue Mountain provinces and vegetation; the combination has forms a transition band 2 to 3 miles It is important to keep in mind that an management implications. wide. Another example is between the ecological province is not homogeneous. Mazama and High Desert provinces An ecological province, which is a For example, High Desert Province is where the pumice mantle, which subdivision of a region, has a distinc- characterized by large and small closed distinguishes Mazama from adjacent tive combination of geological features basins surrounded by extensive terraces provinces, gradually thins into the High and ecological sites. In an ecological with interspersed ridges, hilly uplands, Desert Province. The vegetational province, general regional differences isolated buttes, and block-faulted for- differences, and thus the provincial in vegetation complexes among eco- mations. The terrace and basin portion boundary, are not clear-cut but rather logical sites are related to basic differ- of the province is flat to gently sloping; occur within a belt of demarcation. ences in underlying geology, geomor- intermediate hills, buttes, and moun- phology, and climate on a relatively tains are steep to very steep. Ecological The descriptions of the 15 ecological broad scale that encompasses a number sites range from and low-lying terraces provinces in Oregon provide valuable of ecological sites. to subalpine mountain tops and from information including: location; a lake beds that are nearly always dry to general description of the province; For public and private land managers permanent wetlands and marshes. general soils description and soil series and technicians, the concept of ecologi- However, a unifying characteristic