Climate Change experiment forest

starting this spring I will begin planting of a "future conditions forest" or the slightly more catchy "assisted migration forest" as an experiment in planting species that may be better suited to future climactic conditions than our current native species. Assisted migration might very well be necessary in the coming years as plant species can't always follow changing conditions as they geographically shift like birds and beasts can. There are ethical implications at work involving assisted migration which I will discuss later, but for the time being I will focus on my four California oaks and how they fair in their formative years in northern Oregon soil.

California Oak Savanna, or Oregon in 30 years?

The three I have ordered are for my future conditions forest :

Blue Oak California and S. Oregon
Valley Oak: California
Black Oak: California and S. Oregon
Canyon Oak: California and S. Oregon

The Importance of trees in cities

The rapid urbanization taking place throughout the world has legitimized the importance of habitat and biodiversity in an urban setting. The study of urban habitats is a young and complex discipline with intricacies and nuances extending beyond traditional ecology, but one thing is abundantly clear and that is the importance of trees. I have attempted to synthesize concisely the common threads and major points from a variety of journal articles on the role of trees in urban wildlife habitats.

The average forest cover in cities in the United States is thirty one percent, a drastic reduction from historic coverage levels. A common tactic used to gauge ecosystem health in an urban environment is to  assess a single species to see how their populations are affected by common urban factors like disturbance, fragmentation, pollution, and invasive species. The findings are often surprising as the degree of anthropogenic alteration in an urban environment negates the application of traditional principles of ecology. A native tree planting project in Ithaca New York was met with disastrous results due to the soil makeup in the city in no way resembling native soils, necessitating the use of non native trees. What this means for native wildlife that has co-evolved with native tree species is unclear, but an amazing level of adaptability has been observed in European cities as introduced trees have been long established and have in cases like the Chestnut had only positive impacts on native wildlife.

An intensive study of habitat patches in Birmingham England revealed that wildlife corridors don’t function the way planners would hope, seeing them rarely used for transit by large mammals, often opting for perilous urban routes creating risks for themselves and for human populations. Conversely forested wildlife corridors have been employed in Florida, the Willamette valley and Minneapolis yielding positive results, suggesting that perhaps differences in methodology by region or the prevalence of established alien species are to blame for the British corridors overall lack of efficacy.

A drawback to increasing forest habitat in an urban environment is increased risk for humans and animals. Native tree plantings in Florida resulted in a fifty percent increase in auto collisions with deer over a twenty year period most likely due to decreased visibility near the highway. Improved riparian vegetation near a four lane highway also in Florida saw eighty five percent of all turtles killed who attempted to cross. It is issues like these that illustrate that trees for urban habitat health is not a one dimensional subject. Trees are the most important aspect of an effective corridor, animals either travel through the trees directly via the canopy and branches or use trees for shelter and concealment while avoiding predators and humans.

Generally speaking however in study areas the world over it is the quality of the habitat that is the greatest indicator of wildlife health, not its connectivity. An effective corridor is one that costs an animal the least amount of effort and risk, large trees with thick understory fit this description, but often don’t meet the needs of a city where green areas are meant for people first as open recreational parks. Complicating matters further, species dependant on forested urban areas are becoming increasingly stressed by the aggressive growth of species that thrive in cities like scavenging Raccoons and Possums or birds and other species that benefit from ample nesting opportunities cities provide like chimneys and other derelict structures. The needs of animals vary so greatly that catering to every native species is impossible. Improving and increasing the habitat trees provide is crucial as decline in a urban habitat patches can be interpreted as a sign of imminent extirpation of that species.

When a species becomes too isolated population sinks occur where reproductive output cannot support growth. The semi agreed upon methodology in urban forest habitats is not to look to a healthy ecosystem in the wilderness for inspiration,  but rather select the species you wish to facilitate and cater your tree selection and habitat design specifically to their needs. I believe that adjusting for the wild uncertainties and complexities of urban ecology means choosing trees based on their performance in the alien landscape we’ve created, not on their merits as a wildlife tree.

sources

"Aars, J., Ims, R.A. (June 1999). "The Effect of Habitat Corridors on Rates of Transfer and Interbreeding between Vole Demes.". Ecology (Ecological Society of America) 80: 1648–1655." N.p., n.d. Web.

"Adams LW: Urban Wildlife Habitats: A Landscape Perspective. Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota Press, 1994." (n.d.): n. pag. Print.

"Alberti M, Marzluff JM: Ecological Resilience in Urban Ecosystems: Linking Urban Patterns to Human and Ecological Functions. Urban Ecosystems 2004;7:241 ‐ 265." N.p., n.d. Web.

"Baum KA, Haynes KJ, Dillemuth FP, Cronin JT: The Matrix Enhances the Effectiveness of Corridors and Stepping Stones. Ecology 2004;85:2671 ‐ 2676." N.p., n.d. Web.

"Beier, P., Loe, S. (1992). "In My Experience: A Checklist for Evaluating Impacts to Wildlife Movement Corridors. Wildlife Society Bulletin". Wildlife Society Bulletin (Allen Press) 20 (4): 434–440." N.p., n.d. Web.

"Beier P, Majka D, Newell S, Garding E: Best Management Practices for Wildlife Corridors. 1 ‐ 14. 2008. Northern Arizona University." N.p., n.d. Web.

"Beier P, Noss RF: Do Habitat Corridors Provide Connectivity? Conservation Biology 1998;12:1241 ‐ 1252." N.p., n.d. Web.

"B.J., Brinkerhoff, J., Damschen, E.I., Townsend, P. 2002. Corridors Affect Plants, Animals, and Their Interactions in Fragmented Landscapes. Ecology, 99 (20):1223-1226." N.p., n.d. Web.

"M., S. 2002. Ecology: Insects, Pollen, Seeds, Travel Wildlife Corridors. Science News, 162 (10):269." N.p., n.d. Web.

"Ås S: Invasion of Matrix Species in Small Habitat Patches. Conservation Ecology [online] 1999;3:Article 1." N.p., n.d. Web.

Some of the only intact urban habitat is where it is literally too hard to build

An accidental ecosystem: Willamette Bluffs    

Here intact woodlands can be seen snaking around the contours of the steep willamette bluffs in North Portland. Photo courtesy Google Earth

A greenway containing some of the healthiest intact Oak woodlands in the metro area and home to birds of prey, deer, coyotes, and bobcats frames north portland’s western edge from St Johns to the Fremont Bridge, and yet most Portlanders are unaware of its scope or diversity. The Willamette Bluffs are an expression of passive sustainability for the extreme incline of the cliffs has made development of them all but impossible since Portland’s inception.

A typical section of the bluffs, illustrating the steep gradient that is conducive to dry forests and not human development.

It was no act of altruism that preserved this treasure, just man’s inclination to take the path of least resistance. The result of this is an 11 mile long, incredibly thin slice of the ecosystems that once covered the area. Like all cities Portland lacks connectivity corridors between its parks, but due to the continuity of the bluffs steep grade, they remain incredibly un bisected by roads and trails given their position between industrial swan island and heavily developed north portland. Having an intact migratory corridor was definitely not on the minds of city planners and developers during portland’s turn of the century growth, but were simply created through omission.

The section of the bluffs I’m not considering in my analysis is the portion north of University of Portland known as Baltimore woods. This section is less steep and therefore has seen development, bisection by roads and railways and as a result a more aggressive incursion of invasive species. Active sustainability can be witness taking place here as the community has rallied to preserve and restore this section. I mention it because It is an interesting contrast to the main southern portion encircling swan island, where human degradation and disturbance never really took place on the same level, and where the ecological health will probably forever be superior to Baltimore woods regardless of  how intensive and scientifically sound their restoration efforts may be.

Restoration taking place in the Baltimore woods section of the bluffs. With a few recent exceptions the majority of the bluffs have not needed or warranted human intervention on this scale, which would be more of a disturbance than a help. Photo Courtesy Port of Portland.    

Owens would be particularly keen on this model of sustainability as it aligns with his own borderline misanthropic view. Owens believes sustainability needs to be thrust on humans through circumstance, a worldview I don’t always agree with, but in this case it holds true. I couldn’t help think of him describing Manhattan's green infrastructure being the result of a series of circumstantial factors like the geography of the island and the ease of walking relative to driving, and not tied to smart planning or morality. I believe Owens would find the accidental success of the bluffs to be ideologically affirming.

Can this model be replicated in other parks in the city, the short answer is not where development has already taken place. Connectivity on this level in an urban area could only be achieved by bulldozing houses between existing parks, and even then newly planted restoration projects can never approach the ecological viability of an area that has been left alone. We can look at these unbroken urban green corridors as we grow outward. We must resist the urge to exploit every parcel of land that is deemed easiest to develop. If we plan a new community, instead of razing everything then building disjointed smaller parks from the ground up, look at what greenways and habitats already exist and weave them into the fabric of the new community in a way that is good for people and wildlife.

View of the bluffs looking south from University of Portland with Swan Island industry in stark contrast to the greenery.

Extreme gradient of the bluffs, taken from the Waud Bluff trail. The newly constructed trail connects University of Portland with Swan Island, cutting the commute of many swan island workers who live in North Portland who formerly had to circumvent the bluffs for miles and now can bike or walk to work. The trail may actuate more recreational development and community interest in the bluffs, perhaps to the detriment of the formerly undisturbed ecology.

Healthy Oak Savannah like this were once extensive in the easily developable and farmable land in the Willamette Valley and have seen a 95% decline in Oregon. As a result they essentially only remains in hard to exploit places like the steep Willamette bluffs.

A stroll through the Water Pollution Control Laboratory in St Johns Portland

The Water Pollution Control Laboratory is a city owned and operated institution that was opened in 1997 adjacent to cathedral park in the St Johns neighborhood. What could easily have been closed off and separate from the community has instead seamlessly worked itself into the fabric of the neighborhood.

The landscaped nature trails function as an extension of cathedral park, allowing the public to freely walk through and learn from informational plaques or simply by witnessing nature in action. Every methodology for stormwater and pollution control are on working display here.

At every turn informational plaques inform you on plant and animal life as well as pollution and stormwater.

Whether it is the swales in the parking lot, the restored habitat on the banks of the Willamette or the water garden, the community can see tangibly where water from 50 city acres end up, which is markedly better than seeing water disappear in a storm grate and never giving it a passing thought again. The building itself is used by community groups for meetings and events. The grounds are a living laboratory for the Bureau of Environmental Services to implement and monitor how water reaches the Willamette and methods of intervention and control of pollution.

The water garden, designed to intercept runoff from 50 urban acres before the water reaches the Willamette.

The work being done by the lab is by no means limited to the habitat and trails on the grounds surrounding the building, but these are a valuable resource nonetheless for research and applied science while also being an invaluable part of St Johns.

Residents who may be skeptical of tax funded environmental endeavors will be more easily won over when natural beauty and recreation are factors as they are here.

The US-Mexico border: In desperate need of protection, restoration.

The US-Mexico border stretches from the pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico running a total length of 1,954 miles  (United States Border Fence). Four US States and six Mexican states sit on either side of the line. The number of crossings that occur legally each year exceeds the total population of the United States. The border has become the kinetic hotpoint of economic, cultural, social, and criminal activity. It is also happens to pass through some of the most biologically diverse regions in North America home to an impressive variety of plants and animals as well as habitats that exist nowhere else in the world. The huge latitudinal distance the border means it passes through an extreme and varied mix of climates, elevations, geographic variation, and habitats. The value of the border region is validated by the high number of National Parks, monuments, refuges, and wilderness areas created over the years to preserve the rich natural heritage.  

Unfortunately the southwest also has the highest rate of species endangerment in the country (Archibold, Randal C). The border’s most well known contribution to environmental damage is the walls and fences built along it. And while the habitat fragmentation caused by the construction of a physical barrier like a wall is easy to quantify and its effects are without a doubt devastating, there are many other contributing factors related to the policies around the region and the resulting intensity of human activity concentrated in a thin but vital stip of land. The act of policing such a massive frontier necessitates an entire infrastructure built around supporting such an endeavor. Infrastructure like roads for construction and border patrol that were built through the formerly roadless Otay mountain Wilderness Area in California (Border Fences Pose Threats). The only viable way for the US government to achieve this in an area home to so many legally protected swaths of land was to enact a set of laws giving them impunity to waive over 37 federal laws meant to preserve the land (Real ID Waiver Authority). This unprecedented overreach of power is granted to the federal government through the real ID act. Some notable acts include previously untouchables like, “Endangered Species Act,” “Clean Air Act,” Wilderness Act,” and the “Native American Graves Protection Act” to name a few  (Real ID Waiver Authority).

Desert ecosystems like those along the border are some of the most susceptible to the negative impacts of climate change meaning the human disruptions taking place here are amplified (Archibold, Randal C). The border walls disrupt migration and movement of wildlife, which also impairs the exchange of genetic information between populations who are isolated from other potential breeding populations (U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Could Threaten Wildlife). Already endangered animals will go extinct in a matter of generations if the populations remain too small and isolated and genetic bottlenecks form (U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Could Threaten Wildlife). The Jaguar which has in the past been sighted in Arizona and New Mexico is not expected to ever again be seen in the United States because its former territorial swaths are now blocked (Border Fences Pose Threats).

Inhibiting the flow of wildlife across southwestern habitats is the most publicized impact of the heavily defended borders, but other unintended consequences have arisen. Hastily constructed barriers built for the sole purpose of impeding human movement with little to no consideration for local geographic conditions are beginning to backfire in strange ways. The border wall erected in Nogales, Mexico resulted in flooding that inundated houses and caused deaths and millions in damage (Splitting the Land in Two). Walls in Texas have blocked grazers historic access to the Rio Grande. And in pipe organ National Monument flooding resulted from a wall built in violation of environmental law (United States Border Fence). The consequences of disrupting natural systems with such aggressively unnatural modifications are starting to reveal themselves all along the border.

    Proponents of the wall may argue that the ends justify the means, and the degradation of the environment is a necessary evil to prevent potentially dangerous individuals from entering the US. The opposite is in fact true, the Border Patrol’s own statistic show decreased crossings in unwalled areas and increases in heavily walled areas (Splitting the Land in Two). Dangerous stretches of mountains and deserts that the Border Patrol hoped the new walls would deter migrants from using have also seen increases in foot traffic and the accompanying deaths from exposure (Splitting the Land in Two). All intended goals of a barrier between the US and Mexico have failed and more often backfired with a host of unforeseen consequences.The wall is purely an affectation of a nation’s irrational fear and serves no real purpose. Without a modern unified vision of our shared border we will only continue the expedient decimation of the ecology of the desert southwest.

The West and the True West; I know no higher god

The West and the Frontier

A map of my idea of the spiritual “American West”

I grew up about as far to the west as is virtually possible in the lower 48 without falling into the ocean, but ironically the identifiable features the mind conjures when mention is made of the Western United States were non-existent. It was only when you venture inland away from the Pacific that  the iconography we’ve come to associates with the “American West” begins to emerge and take shape around you. This paradox highlights why defining the American West takes more than a compass and map. The United States populated its western interior at a time and in a manner that resulted in a unique identity distinct from the rest of the country which for my purposes will refer to as the “True West.” What was actualized was a west that is as much a geographic region as it is an abstract concept that encompasses all the myths, legends, landscapes, and characteristics that define this quintessential American landscape.   

The western edge of the Texas panhandle is the boundary extending from Mexico to Canada that I feel adequately represents the eastern border of the true American West. My border omits most of the Dakotas eastern land and a small bit of eastern Colorado. This border represents the division between the mountain west and the flat short-grass prairie landscape more ecologically and historically identified with the great plains (Shortgrass Prairie). South Dakota’s far western edge is included to contain “Deadwood”, a town at the center of the Black Hills Gold Rush and a kinetic focal point for the kind of  activity that would come to define the image of the American west as a lawless landscape populated by colorful individualists (South Dakota Mining History).

The western border of the “True West” is the entire eastern border of California, a state with a history and geography so singular and separate from the greater American west that it warrants it’s own designation and field of inquiry. There have been Spanish Presidios in southern California since 1769 (Sasha Honig, California Presidios). The same kind of early contact is true for the maritime Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades, where Russians, Spanish, English, and possibly Chinese had been in contact with the native peoples, and some having even set up outposts along the coast and its rivers (Pacific Northwest Explorations Before). The Pacific Northwest was a region where abundant rain, large rivers, and good agricultural land made for a less harsh existence, which is why the true west doesn’t begin until east of the Oregon and Washington Cascades.

The “True West” is the concept of a single region unified by similarities in history, culture, geography, iconography, and tradition. The west owes its unique identity to the relatively late arrival of large scale settlement and as such was heavily influenced by the people and technology available and willing to blaze a trail into the unknown from the mid to late 19th century. Major immigrant and marginalized groups present at that time are heavily represented and played major roles in building the world of the west. Some key players include Chinese, Scotch-Irish, Irish, Cornish, Mexican, fringe religious groups, veterans, and generally the most intrepid, entrepreneurial or desperate individuals (Immigration, Railroads, and the West). This late arrival also meant the region was shaped and tamed not by successive generations, but largely by a single generation and exclusively with the technology of the period. The “True West” was largely settled postbellum and post-slavery by many desperate to leave the bounds of conventional society and as a result developed a fierce independence and individualism, and more importantly a forward looking worldview that did not dwell on or idolize the past (Utley, Robert).

Ecology is a dividing line that sets the west apart from the coasts and the plains. The pacification of the Great Plains was aggressive and successful owing in large part to their relative proximity to population centers in the eastern states and to the open easily tamed landscape (Sampson, Fred Great Plains Ecosystem). The Native peoples were all but wiped out with military precision alongside much of the native flora and fauna. American settlers drove Bison to the edge of extinction, and to their future detriment, did the same to many native prairie plant species (Dakota Prairie Grassland). The East Coast had hundreds of years to raze forests and hunt species to extirpation and extinction. The late arrival of settlers, the unforgiving geography, the harsh climates, the remoteness, the lack of abundant water, and the emergence of a land ethic in the late 19th century all played a role in the west being spared the same level of ecological decimation seen elsewhere. Many wild unchanged landscapes persist today.

“The Frontier”

“Frontier” and “West” are often used interchangeably when discussing American history and for much of our history the west was the frontier. More aptly however is the definition that the frontier is whatever successive edge of settlement we’ve reached that beyond which lies the unknown. The Concept of the “frontier” has been a motivating and defining factor of the American Identity since the nation’s inception. With each successive move deeper into the frontier one stepped further from technological and societal advancement and became more dependant on self reliance. As long as some American somewhere was living self sufficiently and bringing civilization to the hinterland then Manifest Destiny was thriving (Smith, Gibbs). The need for a frontier by those who had no interest in settling one themselves seemed to be as important for their psyche as to those who actually set off into the unknown. It was as if America always needed to be moving forward or it risked stagnating. This mindset is illustrated by a quote by Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan who said, "It is America's right to stretch from sea to shining sea. Not only do we have a responsibility to our citizens to gain valuable natural resources we also have a responsibility to civilize this beautiful land.” (Westward Expansion).

The shackles of the hierarchal cities of the east where family history and social class can be a burden were meaningless in the savage land where one was judged solely on their actions, the frontier represented a meritocracy for those in need of a new beginning. Ironically however, and possibly unbeknownst to the frontiersmen themselves, their attempt to flee civilization and its contours was itself complicate in the civilizing of the wilderness, the same civilizing that occurred years before in the land from which they fled. The mindset may be more important than the reality for assuredly there are still those with a frontier mentality who are without a frontier to set out upon. And perhaps these modern frontiersmen are today our free thinkers, individualists, and troublemakers, forging a trail the only way they still can.

Much of these definitions are firmly rooted on perceptions of the west and the frontier and are often more myth and wishful thinking than reality, but the west was and in some ways still is something that needs to exist in our imaginations if only as a concept, a vast promise land that will be available to us should we need it. In this way the frontier and the west aren’t tangible, but simply manifested reflections of our collective dreams and desires.

Breaking Ground: Frog Pond Project

 

Here is the site I chose to build a wildlife pond. I hope to design a pond that during the rainy months in Oregon will channel the overflow via a gravity fed system into overflow barrels downhill from here. I'm in essence constructing an irrigation pond/reservoir on the top of a hill to enable me to water my crops just down the hill near the red barn in the photos. Ultimate Goal?

 1. Provide Habitat for frogs, newts, fish, turtles and other wildlife.

 2. Plant native aquatic and riparian plants that will purify the otherwise stagnant water 

3. create a no waste source of rainwater for our small vegetable crops.

 

 Progress is slow as I live 40 miles from this piece of property in Western Washington County and can only do small bits of work at a time.

Garden for Wildlife

Reason to be Optimistic #1

Cities (un)paving urban blocks to "pave" the way for city gardeners!

Full story:
http://grist.org/article/food-smart-cities-are-unpaving-the-way-for-urban-farmers-and-locavores/full/

Similar story; recession has led to the resurgence of Gravel roads in rural America. Good for rainwater. and lots more.
http://www.treehugger.com/cars/trend-watch-unpaving-rural-america-back-to-the-stone-age.html

Wildlife Tree of the Month: Manzanita

Photo courtesy: NationalParksblog.com

Dubbed, "Little Apple" by early Spanish settlers the Manzanita looks like it would be more at home in the Australian outback or the Serengeti with its dramatic red-bark. The Manzanita is this month's tree due to it providing an important food source for wildlife in the Sierra Nevada's and other western Biomes. It also is a green option for the backyard Eco-warrior for it is amazingly drought tolerant. For the extra intrepid hippie its tiny fruit can be dried, ground and turned into a very primitive meal.