Private Land Stewardship
Photo by: Jess Shamek Metro
An important element of oak conservation in the greater Portland area is working with private landowners to cooperatively achieve conservation goals. The majority of remaining oak habitat in this region is on private land, so involvement from private citizens is critical to addressing oak restoration and habitat preservation needs.
Restoring oak habitats can require a range of actions, from removing invasive plants that have taken over the understory to thinning out competing trees that overtop and shade out the oaks. In addition to protecting established oaks, it is also important to plant new oak trees, which grow slowly and are long-lived.
This work takes time and effort, private landowners get support and assistance from local conservation districts, state agencies, and federal incentive programs to achieve their stewardship objectives. These groups will work with landowners to find the right tools and expertise for their specific needs, such as selective thinning, invasive weed management, and using prescribed fire, clearing, or grazing to recreate natural cycles.
State Conservation Districts
State conservation districts serve an important role in this capacity. In Oregon, these are called Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) and in Washington, they are called Conservation Districts (CDs). As non-regulatory agencies, conservation districts can work directly with landowners to help provide technical assistance, resources, support and guidance. Conservation districts also help landowners integrate their land uses practices with the ecosystem on their property and their individual conservation goals.
NRCS Programs for Private Landowners
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has multiple programs available throughout the region, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). NRCS programs provide financial and technical assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners address natural resource concerns such as invasive species removal, forest thinning, woody brush removal, and much more.
USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program that focuses on private and tribal lands. It offers free technical and financial assistance to landowners to improve wildlife habitat on their land. It supports the recovery of species of greatest conservation concern, habitat connectivity and functionality, and habitat resiliency. Field biologists work with landowners to plan, implement, and monitor projects. They also help identify partners and funding sources and provide permitting guidance.
ODFW Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program effort involving state and local governments and other partners. The Oregon State Legislature created this program to help private landowners to voluntarily conserve native wildlife habitat on their properties in addition to farming, growing timber, or other land uses. Under the habitat program, land subject to an approved wildlife habitat conservation and management plan receives a wildlife habitat special assessment, where property taxes are assessed at the relatively low value that would apply if the land were being farmed or used for commercial forestry.