Riparian forests are associated with a range of ecosystem goods and services, including water quality protection, habitat provision, flood regulation, and sediment retention. In Oregon’s Willamette Basin, diversified regulatory compliance mechanisms, growing public awareness of the importance of intact riparian forests, and new funding streams have driven increased levels of participation by public agencies, utilities and non-profit organizations in riparian restoration since the late 1990’s. Through program reporting data, a qualitative survey involving program managers and other key staff, and descriptive information about program activities, we describe the scope and scale of riparian restoration in primarily the lower reach of the Willamette Basin over the past 20 years.
With the increasing demand for planting and maintenance in urban and peri-urban areas, local forestry contractors have shifted their operations and new companies have formed. Increased demand for native plants led to an expansion of commercial nurseries, many of which have increased species diversity, refined seedling stock specifications and improved handling practices. Although collaboration and information sharing at the agency and organization level remains informal, regional practices that include use of bare root seedlings and effective site preparation and maintenance to establish riparian forests have evolved.
Results/Conclusions
Early restoration funding drivers included statewide planning goals and regulatory permit compliance, while tax levies and grant funding have played a growing role in recent years. A rank-ordered qualitative assessment of opportunity cost indicates that a majority of acreage in restoration consists of public lands that are not otherwise developable, followed by agricultural lands that are not otherwise developable. Affinity with birds, fish and other wildlife is ranked by project managers as a primary reason why landowners choose to partner in restorations activities. Project managers identified concerns over additional requirements and regulations as a primary obstacle to private landowner engagement. This suggests that the Willamette case may be a novel one in which tradeoffs among ecosystem services are less problematic than reliable funding and a climate of trust among landowners and organizations implementing restoration.
Typical planting sites include formerly forested valley floor and foothill areas dominated by non-native plant species. Along with prairie, oak woodland, upland forest, and aquatic restoration activities, this amounts to a viable regional restoration economy. We describe the strength of that economy in terms of plant totals, acres planted and dollars spent over time, and identify some of the social obstacles to working in riparian areas.