INVENTORY OF POTENTIAL NATURAL AREAS ON STATE LANDS: PART 4 I -. A report to the NATURAL AREA PRESERVES ADVISORY COMMITTEE to the STATE LAND BOARD by STEPH EN J. WALSH , JOHN W. MA IRS , and CASSANDRA J. ALEXANDER Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon Decem ber, 1976 NATURAL AREA PRESERVES ADVISORY COMMITTEE to the OREGON STATE LAND BOARD Robert Straub Norma Paul us Clay Myers Governor Secretary of State State . Treasurer Membeors Robert Frenkel (Acting Chairman), Corvallis Charles Collins, Roseburg David McCorkle, Monmouth Patricia Harris, Eugene Bruce Nolf, Bend Jean L. Siddall, Lake Oswego Ex-Officio Members Bob Maben William S. Phelps Oregon Wildlife Commission State Forestry Department Pete Bond John Ri chardson State Parks and Recreation Branch State System of Higher Education VEGETATION INVENTORY OF CERTAIN STATE-OWNED LANDS IN SELECTED OREGON COUNTIES • A Report to the NATURAL AREA PRESERVES ADVISORY COMMITTEE OREGON STATE LAND BOARD by Stephen J. Walsh, John W. Mairs, and Cassandra J. Alexander Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon December, 1976 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations. ii Introduction 1 Clackamas County 5 Columbia County. 10 Hood River County. 14 Marion County. 19 Multnomah County 30 Tillamook County 35 Washington County. 60 Yamhill County 67 Report Summary 70 References 72 , i - --- ---------------- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS State Land in Eight Counties • 4 Clackamas County Map • 6 Columbia County Map. • · • 11 Hood River County Map. • • 15 Marion County Map. • • 20 Marion County, T9S, R4E ••• • 22 Multnomah County Map • • 31 Tillamook County Map • • 36 Tillamook County, T3N. R9W . • 38 Tillamook County, T3N, R8w 39 Tillamook County, R3N, R7W • · . • 40 Tillamook County, T3N, R6w . · . · 41 Tillamook County, T2N, R9W · 42 Tillamook County, T2N, R8W • · · 43 Tillamook County, T2N, R7W . · 44 Tillamook County, TIN, R9W . · 45 Tillamook County, RlN, R8W • · 46 Tillamook County, TIN, R7W . · · 47 , Tillamook County, TIN, R6W . · 48 Tillamook County, TIS, R8W . · 49 Tillamook County, RlS, R7W • 50 Tillamook County, T2S, R8W . · 51 Tillamook County, T2S, R7W • · · 52 Washington County Map. · · 61 Washington County, TIS, R6W •• · · 64 Yamhill County Map · · 68 ii VEGETATION INVENTORY OF CERTAIN STATE-OWNED LANDS IN SELECTED OREGON COUNTIES INTRODUCTIO~I On 19 May, 1 July, 1975, and 1 July 1976, the Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory (ERSAL) at Oregon State University entered • into agreements with the Natural Area Preserves Advisory Committee (NAPAC) to the Oregon State Land Board for the purpose of conducting a vegetation resource inventory of all state-owned land in selected counties using remote sensing techniques and accepted vegetation resource inventory procedures. Information gathered during the project is to meet the need of NAPAC to locate and identify potential natural area preserves. This report presents the results of that project under the current agreement. ERSAL has previously located and identified potential natural area preserves for NAPAC in Benton, Clatsop, Crook, Curry, Jefferson, Linn, and Malheur Counties (Mairs, 1975); Cods, Douglas, Harney, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lake Counties (Walsh and Miller, 1975); Lane, Lincoln, and Polk Counties (Walsh, 1976). Within the scope of this inventory, ERSAL recognized the following objectives: 1) to provide through remote sensing techniques a description of vegetation in potential natural areas on state-owned lands in Clackamas, Columbia, Hood River, Marion, Multnomah, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill Counties; 2) to identify from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) high altitude photography, state land which may not be appropriate for natural area preservation at an early stage of the project; 3) to interpret and to describe primarily from aerial photography the plant communities on II Adapted from John W. Mairs, Vegetation Inventory of Certain State-Owned Lands in Selected Oregon Counties, Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory, March, 1975. ·1 potentially suitable sites at the "cell" level as set forth in the review copy of Research Natural Area Needs in the Pacific Northwest: A Contribution to Land Use Planning, C.T. Dyrness. et al., 1974; 4) to field check interpre­ tations from high altitude photography to insure correct identification of plant communities; and 5) to present to NAPAC, in a mutually agreeable format, • the results of the inventory on the specified state-owned lands by December 15, 1976. Working toward these objectives, ERSAL personnel located parcels of state land, including state parks and waysides, in the project counties on 15' USGS topographic maps and on BLM Master Unit Ownership maps (1"/1 mile), Each parcel, or contiguous land unit, was systematically located on available color infrared (CIR) high altitude photography with the aid of these maps. Interpretations of the composition and character of the vegetation were made and inappropriate units or areas within units were omitted from further analysis. Brief notes on all units were made. These working maps and inventory descriptions have been preserved in an organized manner and are to be eventually s tor ed by ERSAL. Land units considered as having some to high potential for natural area preserves are described in catalogue form by county in the main body of the report. The decision to include a unit in the catalogue was based on: 1. the 'lack of excessive vegetation disturbance; 2. the unusual, as well as the typical attributes of the vegetation, e.g., regionally uncommon plant species present or a quality community of regionally common species present; 3. the natural character of the immediate environmental setting; and 4. the presence of other values such as unique scenery, unusual landform, natural water source, important wildlife habitat, or special soil type. Systematic photo interpretation provided the bulk of information for carrying out the evaluation on the 454,400 2 acres of state land involved in the study. Where "ground truth" data or the positive identification of extraordinary vegetation photo signature was needed, an attempt was made to field check the areas and sites in question. The format of the following catalogue is alphabetical by county. For each county, there is a small scale reference map indicating the location • of all state land in that county. Each unit selected for cataloguing has its legal description, its approximate landmark location, the title of the map on which it may be found, and the flight and frame number of the NASA photography on which it may be found listed under "A". Under "B" are given the physiographic province and vegetation zone (after Franklin and Dyrness, 1973). A brief state­ ment concerning the vegetation composition and other pertinent features in the unit is in part "C". A comment on the potential or suitability of the unit for preserve status is given as either High Potential, Medium Potential, or Some Potential, and is after "D". It would be helpful, but not absolutely necessary, to refer to the folder of working maps submitted to NAPAC as part of this report when using the catalogue. 3 STATE LAND IN THE EIGHT COUNTIES 43.4 20 % of the County that ;s State-Owned % of all Oregon State-Owned Land o which occurs in the County 15 5 0 ~ ~ V1 ~ :c ~ C) « « :> « C) ~ ~ >-< ~ ~ C) ~ ~ co ~ ~ C) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ C) ~ « >-< >-< lJ ~ C) >-< ~ ~ :c :c « ~ C) ~ ~ ~ V1 ~ ~ C) C) « ~ >-< « « lJ lJ :c ~ ~ ~ 3 >- COUNTY SOURCE: State of Oregon, District Facts, 1970. 4 CLACKAMAS COUNTY Northwestern Oregon Clackamas County stretches from the Willamette River east to the crest of the Cascade Range, thereby including the eastern side of the Willamette Valley and the western slopes of the high Cascades. The pre­ cipitation gradient for this area is directly related to the elevational changes and varies from 40 inches annually on the valley floor to 140 inches annually on the high mountain slopes. The physiographic and geologic provinces within Clackamas County include the Willamette Valley Province in the western portion, the Western Cascades Province in the mid-county area, and the High Cascades PrDvince along the eastern edge of the county. The major vegetation zones of the county from west to east are the Oak-Fir Zone of the Willamette Valley, the Western Hemlock Climax Zone of the Western Cascades, the Subalpine Forest on the upper slopes of the Cascades and the Timberline/Alpine Zone in the high Cascades. The last zone cited above is minimal and restricted to the northeast corner of Clackamas County (Franklin and Dyrness, 1973). Summary of Vegetation on State Lands. Clackamas County • .. The bulk of the state-owned lands in Clackamas County is clustered close to the southwest county boundary and all of the state parcels fall within the Western Hemlock Climax vegetation zone. This zone receives 60-140 inches of precipitation annually and is comprised of approximately 90% forest cover. The dominant climax/subclimax species within this zone include western hemlock, Douglas Fir, western red cedar and several true firs. Hardwoods such as red alder, big leaf maple, aspen and ash are not 5 IW d u CLACKAMAS COUNTY I I FAS SYSTEM 1 1 1 Sccle J:t 1 I 1... ~".196' 1 -------:---I ------t-l ._.-1..-. __ .1 ~LEGEH D~ co. ( FA Primary Highway FAS ~li9hwQy on state Primary Miqhwoy == }'AS *liqhwayon StQfo ~ecolldary tliqhwoy tAS .li9hwQ] on Counfy Road • S1::ate-owned land • especially widespread except as seral dominants in disturbed areas or along water courses. The understory of the Hemlock zone is generally composed of regenerating conifers of the overstory, vine maple, dogwood, Oregon grape, snowberry, salal and ferns. Variations in these trends are of course determined by variations in environmental stresses (franklin and Dyrness, 1973). Catalogue of Selected Parcels. Clackamas County. 1A. T7S, R3E Section 36, NE~E~ The area is 1.0 mile north of Panther Rock. Gawley Creek flows through the parcel. Santiam River Master Unit, 1" = 2 mi., B~, 1974. 74-165, 2059, (1:130,000). B. Western Cascades Province, Western Hemlock Zone.
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