Oak Habitat Restoration Planned for Herbert Farm and Natural Area

Corvallis Parks and Recreation, through its Urban Forestry section, will restore an ancient oak habitat in Herbert Farm and Natural Area, starting later this summer. The property is a 221-acre, City-owned natural area near the southern edge of Corvallis.

The oak habitat project will restore 6.1 acres of oak woodland and savanna located along two small creeks within the larger parcel. This ecosystem includes vestiges of the last pre-settlement oaks remaining in the region. Over the last half century, fast-growing Douglas-fir trees have overtaken the Oregon white oaks, changing the composition of the forest canopy and threatening the oaks. In addition, invasive weeds have sprung up throughout the site, further impairing the habitat.

Forestry staff worked with the Institute for Applied Ecology and Trout Mountain, a forestry consultant, to create a restoration plan that will strengthen the existing oak trees and create desirable habitats for frogs, snakes, woodpeckers, squirrels and other rare and endangered wildlife native to the area.

The restoration project will involve removal of select conifer trees, starting in July. Most logs will be removed and sold for salvage, but some will be left as snags and fallen logs to create habitats for wildlife.

The project is similar to a successful oak restoration that was conducted in summer 2016 at Chip Ross Natural Area on the north side of Corvallis, though at a much smaller scale. The results in Chip Ross were dramatic – over the last two years, the Corvallis community was able to see the transformation of the area, from an overgrown forest composed of young Douglas-fir trees to a thriving oak woodland that is home to a broad array of wildlife. Parks staff in Corvallis are anticipating a similar result at Herbert Farm.

The oak habitat work is just latest phase in the Herbert Farm and Natural Area restoration project. Since 2011, Parks and Recreation has phased in its restoration plan, including working with the Institute for Applied Ecology to plant some 58,000 shrubs and trees to restore a former agricultural field to its original prairie and riparian ecosystems.

For more information on Urban Forestry in the City of Corvallis, go to www.corvallisoregon.gov/trees.