Item 3: PH on Ordinance Prescribed Wetland Management Burning

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USE OF PRESCRIBED FIRE IN WILLAMETTE V ALLEY NATIVE PRAIRIES Edward R. Alverson The Nature Conservancy woody cover in the treatment plots without promoting non-native grasses, while mowing was less effective at reducing woody species and tended to promote non-native species (Clark and Wilson, 2000). A similar study (but with larger treatment areas) has been initiated by The Nature Conservancy at Willow Creek, but the results are not yet available. 5. Summary and Conclusions The Willamette Valley has an interesting history ofinteractions between human populations and the natural landscape, of which fire was a significant component. Prescribed burning is viewed by scientists and land managers as an important tool for ensuring that this natural legacy is passed on to future generations. Some type of active management of these native prairie sites is necessary to maintain open habitat conditions and keep out woody plants, and fire is the most natural means to achieve these ends. Without prescribed burning, we will find it to be both more difficult and more expensive to maintain remaining high quality native prairie sites. Although prescribed bums may result in some localized, short term inconveniences to the public, we believe that the overall benefits, both to the general public and to the natural habitats, outweigh the inconveniences involved. References Boyd, R. 1999. Strategies of indian burning in the Willamette Valley. In Boyd, R. (ed.) Indians, Fire and the Land in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. Clark, D. L., and M.V. Wilson. 2000. Controlling woody vegetation in wetlands prairies, 1994- 1999. Unpublished report, Oregon State University, Corvallis. Douglas, D. 1959. Journal Kept by David Douglas During His Travels in North America 1823- 1827. Antiquarian Press, New York. Habeck, lR. 1961. The original vegetation of the mid- Willamette Valley, Oregon. Northwest Science 35:65-77. Hansen, H. 1942. Pollen study of lake sediments in the lower Willamette Valley of western Oregon. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 69:262-280. Jancaitis, J. E. 2001. Restoration of a Willamette Valley wet prairie: An evaluation of two management techniques. M.S. Thesis, University of Oregon. Johannessen, C.L., W.A. Davenport, A. Millet, and S. McWilliams. 1971. The vegetation of the Willamette Valley. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 61:286-302. Morris, W. 1936. Forest fires in western Oregon and Washington. Oregon Historical Quarterly 35:313-339. Pearl, C.A., C. Whitlock and P.K. Schoonmanker. 1999. Holocene Vegetation and Fire History of the Mid- Willamette Valley. Unpublished report, Oregon Dept. of Transportation. 6