Project

Objective: The Oregon Oaks team is a part of the Environmental Leadership Program at University of Oregon. Our goal was to identify different restoration methods to design an oak restoration plan for a 43-acre subunit of THNA using the 2019 Oregon Oaks ELP team baseline data for conservation management. We applied for a restoration grant through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to implement the oak restoration project at THNA in partnership with Willamalane Park and Recreation District and the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council. Adaptive management techniques were utilized to carry out restoration focused on conifer thinning in savanna and prairie ecosystems, controlling invasive species, and planting native species.

Study Site: The study site for the project is the Thurston Hills Natural Area study site 1.1 and 1.2 identified from last year’s data. Photos used from last year and a site map created with ArcGIS map out the specific area we proposed the grant for.

The area we chose has both open oak savanna and mixed woodland. Invasive blackberries (Rubus armeniacus) are prevalent in both of these vegetation types, covering some locations very densely. The oak savanna is home to many native species of plants including camas (Camassia quamash and leichtlinii) and Tolmie's mariposa lily (Calochortus tolmiei), among others, but is also dominated by competitive non-native grasses and forbs, such as false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) and shining geranium (Geranium lucidum). The mixed woodland has conifer encroachment upon the oaks, which is shading the oaks out and causing their crowns to grow irregularly. By thinning the understory and reducing litter from Douglas-fir, restoration work would increase oak resiliency as well reduce the potential fuel load of any wildfires in THNA

The images above depict the precise location of our study site within park and city limits. The first image shows where Thurston Hills Natural Area is located in regards to the greater Eugene-Springfield area. The image directly below indicates the location of various monitoring sites from the Oregon Oaks 2019 ELP team within the park. The blue, oval-shaped named Site 1 is where the restoration project would take place. The final image below depicts the recommended management areas within Site 1, identified as sites 1.1 and 1.2 by the 2019 Oregon Oaks Team.