Applegater
TREEs
temperatures limit biomass production.
Occasionally Shasta red fir and mountain
hemlock trees will invade during warmer
climatic periods. But this ambitious
advance can be knocked back, by short
but extremely cold weather events.
Extensive sheep grazing during the mid-
to-late 1800s expanded the extent of
this Series. Too many hungry sheep and
too little vegetation resulted in extensive
soil compaction and reduced inherent
productivity. In addition, herders, as they
retreated from the winter cold, were fond
of burning to stimulate the forbs and
T
olerant of dense shade, tanoak
is the climax species where it is
associated with coast redwood.
discourage tree regeneration. Dutchman
Peak and Silver Fork Basin reflect both
the management history and limited
productive potential of this Series.
Western hemlock is listed because
it occurs in the Illinois Valley watershed,
directly to the west and has been sighted
just north and east of the Applegate
(according to the Oregon Flora database).
There are no known stands within the
Applegate, so if you see individual trees
or group of trees, record the location.
It would be rare, and should be noted.
Oregon white oak thrives on
the hottest and driest environments in
the Watershed. It is usually associated
with thick grasses and drought tolerant
shrubs like baldhip rose, buckbrush, and
poison oak. Wood ticks are the most
common animals. Although it survives
on all geologic rock types, soils are always
shallow (often less than a foot) rocky
and hold little water, regardless of the
elevation. There are isolated stands near
4,000 feet, but most stands occur between
1,000 and 2,000 feet. Historically, the
Natives repeatedly burned in this Series.
It was prime habitat. It provided deer,
occasional elk, some root crops, grains,
and other produce. Fish were also available
nearby. All in all, not a bad place to live.
The Shasta Red Fir Series occurs in
a narrow elevational band interfingered
with the Mountain Hemlock Series
above and the White Fir Series below.
Contrary to popular belief, the Series is
relatively productive. It is low enough in
elevation that the soil warms quickly in
the spring and high enough in elevation
that orographic precipitation satisfies
its thirst. At Wrangle Camp I have
sampled stands with a number of trees
that measured greater than 60 inches in
diameter. But like most true firs, they are
susceptible to every insect and disease
that wanders by, and the heartwood is
typically rotten most of its adult life.
Shasta red fir is an efficient invader in
recently disturbed sites, but it is only
climax (seedlings survive under closed
canopies) in its narrow elevational
band (about 4,500 to 6,000 feet).
The Ponderosa Series is the
elevational opposite of the Shasta Red
Fir Series. It occurs on a narrow, but low
elevation band. Although the soils are
droughty, they can be productive. Large,
old Ponderosa pine is not difficult to find
in our lowlands near farms and fields.
There are quite a number of trees and
small stands along Highway 238. The
Series is relatively resistant to insects at low
stand densities. Historically, fire thinned
FROM PAGE 12
these stands allowing Ponderosa pine to
thrive. Generally the soils are moderately
deep, but there is an interesting special
case where Ponderosa grows on muddy,
wet soils in the bottom lands where sedges
are commonly allied. Unlike most other
conifers, Ponderosa pine is tolerant of this
condition. While these soils are saturated
in early spring they dry quickly, crack
on the surface like dry skin, and leave a
small, black clayey hexagonal pavement.
The Tanoak Series is our other
hardwood Series, but is the productive
opposite of the White Oak Series. Tanoak
is not only a fast grower, it can sprout
after fire or other top-killing disturbance,
like frost, drawing upon an extensive
root system and carbohydrates stored in
its burl. It occurs on the best sites with
the deepest soils on the extreme west
side of the Watershed. Where you find
tanoak, you find high site productivity.
This is not a surprise since one of tanoak’s
closest associates is coast redwood, one
of the most productive conifers in the
northwest and one of only two conifers
that can sprout. Tolerant of dense shade,
tanoak is the climax species where it is
associated with coast redwood. Redwood,
although long-lived will gradually be
replaced by tanoak seedlings, if both fire
and floods are suppressed, not likely. Our
tanoak is at the eastern edge of its range,
just hanging on, as rainfall diminishes.
The White Fir Series, like the
Mountain Hemlock and Shasta Red
Fir Series occurs in a narrow elevational
band on both sides of the Siskiyou Crest
between 3,500 and 5,500 feet. Seedlings
encroach on the Shasta Red Fir series
above and the Douglas-fir Series below, as
long as fire is suppressed. But, historically
fire kept white fir in its place. Like the
wayward child, white fir has been difficult
B
ut as we studied the applegate
and southwest oregon, we
found that as we move south from
the temperate ecosystems in the
Cascades, to the mediterranean
ecosystems of southwest oregon, its
presence increases.
to accept since it easily sustains infections
in the early years. Today, since its shade
tolerance allows it to produce high
stand biomass, it gets a bit more respect.
At the lowest elevations just about
the valley floor, and on the harshest sites
(usually rocky outwash or skeletal, rocky
soils) you will find a shrub dominated
Series that is long lived and prosperous.
Wedgeleaf ceanothus is usually the
dominant species. Wedgeleaf may
be accompanied by a few species of
manzanita, usually whiteleaf, rarely
greenleaf. Whiteleaf manzanita occurs
on the most impoverished sites. But the
presence of greenleaf indicates the site
is much better, but still one of the least
productive Series in the Watershed. The
distribution is scattered, and relatively rare.
Last but not least is the Douglas-
fir Series. It occupies well over half the
watershed. But since most of the early
classification research was done in the
mid-Cascades, it was not originally
believed to be a series; seedlings were
considered too shade intolerant to
reproduce under closed canopies. It was
considered part of the “Mixed Conifer”
group of southwest Oregon. But as we
Summer 2011 15
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7386 Highway 238. • PMB 308
Jacksonville, OR 97530
Email: gater@applegater.org
Appreciation
Dear Applegaters:
We have recently lost a faithful and
loving friend, Ruth Austin, and she will
be very much missed by our community,
and especially the Applegater. I once
heard someone on the Applegater Board
remark that they wouldn’t have been able
to maintain the newspaper without Ruth’s
persistent work at finding advertisers who
helped keep the Applegater afloat for many
years. We will all keep Ruth in our hearts.
I want to say how much I
appreciate the Applegater newspaper and
the community spirit that it reflects.
The various writers have contributed
more than news to Applegate and our
surrounding watershed. The honest
stories told by Rauno Perttu as his wife
Janice has progressed with Alzheimer’s
disease, Greeley’s reflection on his bout
with polio and how it has affected his
life, and JD’s unforgettable treatments for
cancer, the way he dealt with it through
humor in his editorial, all prepare us
for the unexpected bumps in our road.
The Applegater makes me even more
appreciative of our community and the
beautiful area in which we live. Thanks
to all you folks for keeping it going.
studied the Applegate and southwest
Oregon, we found that as we move
south from the Temperate Ecosystems
in the Cascades, to the Mediterranean
Ecosystems of southwest Oregon, its
presence increases. Now it is considered
part of a “Dry group.” As you might
expect, since the Series is found in over
half the Applegate Watershed, there are
many expressions of composition and
structure. There are 21 plant associations
in this Series, 18 can be found in the
Applegate Watershed. Most get less than
60 inches of annual precipitation a year.
Yet the Series is relatively productive, only
the Tanoak Series is more productive.
PRoDuCtivity
On e o f o u r f i r s t l o o k s a t
productivity in the Pacific Northwest,
including southwest Oregon was centered
on conifers (Maintaining the Long-term
Productivity of Pacific Northwest Forest
Ecosystems), a rather limited view. But
understanding biomass as other than
just the traditional dimensional wood
products has been steadily increasing.
Although we are still struggling with a
consistent national definition, logging
waste and agricultural waste are part
of the total consideration, but are
being tied to our ability to produce
renewable energy. Here I am dealing with
relative dry matter production among
the Series regardless of the end use.
The Steppe, Mountain Hemlock,
Jeffrey Pine, and White Oak Series can
be grouped as the least productive.
Cold, nutrients and heat are the
limiting factors respectively. Tanoak
and White Fir conversely are the most
productive, the most diverse and the
most resilient Series. In order of most
to least productive, the Douglas-fir, the
Shasta Red Fir and the Ponderosa Pine
Series make up the moderate group.
Su s t a i n i n g r e s i l i e n c e a n d
productivity in all Series is predominantly
dependent on retaining soil properties
(keying on the limiting factors whether
temperature, water or nutrient content)
and allowing for the process of natural
regeneration. Manipulating canopy
openings and soil surface conditions
can provide for the regeneration needs
of any species or combination of species
within each Series. Long-term stand and
landscape productivity, once regeneration
becomes established will, of course, depend
on fire, or other means of maintaining
stand densities appropriate for short and
long-term stand and landscape objectives.
Joan Peterson
Applegate, OR
Thomas Atzet, Ph.D.
Atzet Ecological Consulting
541-955-9529
jatzet@budget.net