It's been nearly three years since Metro began the program known as "oak release" at Canemah Bluff in Oregon City. Oak release is the removal of competing plants and trees in habitat that has been, and can be again, an area where native oaks thrive. These white oak areas provide critical habitat for many plant and animal species that are disappearing from our region. They are viewed as among the most important habitat types in our state – habitat that is quite rare today.
But the removal of Douglas firs and numerous other smaller trees and shrubs to create the space and conditions for oaks to grow to their full size can be traumatic. When Metro started the work at Canemah, we made the mistake of not providing clear enough descriptions and, frankly warnings, to the neighbors around Canemah about what oak release would look like in the months after clearing was done.
Neighbors were shocked and angered at the number and size of trees and other material that were removed. It was a bad first step, and we apologized to the surrounding community, worked hard to rebuild trust, and now want to report back on early results to the community and the region.
After three years, what appeared at first to be a scarred hillside now has filled in with native plants. The oak trees grow slowly, so I can't report that they have sprung up and spread their branches to the sky. I can report that the wildlife we anticipated seeing is there, especially birds.
As in so much of what we do at Metro, we rely on volunteers to monitor bird populations in our natural areas. At Canemah, they have observed 12 species that were previously unrecorded at the site. More than half of these species are known to prefer healthy oak woodlands. They include black-headed grosbeak, white-breasted nuthatch (a signature bird for healthy oak habitat and an Oregon Conservation Strategy focal species for the Willamette Valley), rufous hummingbirds, red-breasted sapsucker, warbling vireo and Wilson's warblers. In addition, Chipping sparrows, a very rare species in our natural areas, have been spotted there during breeding seasons.
This is great news for species restoration efforts. As we get more reports from our volunteers about the oak habitat recovery at Canemah Bluff, I'll keep you updated. To learn more about the restoration plans for Canemah Bluff, download a copy of the draft Natural Area Conservation and Site Management Plan.