| Plants, Plant Communities, and Weeds |
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| Experience Diverse Habitats |
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Crooked Creek in Central Oregon
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Lands managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department are rich in plant diversity. Many different types of plants and plant communities can be found on these lands throughout the state, some of which are very rare. Interesting and unique places are often home to interesting and unique plants and plant communities. Sometime the places themselves are special because of the plants that characterize them.
Among the different plant communities present on Oregon Parks and Recreation lands are meadows, wetlands, forests, rock gardens, cliffs, shrub steppe, savanna, woodland, desert, beach, and dunes. Each of these habitats contains a unique set of characteristic plants.
   
Unfortunately, these habitats are not entirely stable without help. Invasive species are common on state park lands and threaten natural, native environments. As invasive species gain dominance, the landscape is made less diverse and interesting as the species that may be rare or unique to a particular environment are pushed out by the invaders. Sometimes parks can also be “loved to death” when recreational use is destructive or consumptive. This is the main reason for rules that limit activities within a park. Limitations dealing with plant resources include:
- Prohibition of picking, cutting, or mutilating plants, flowers, wood, or other plant resources except by permit
- Encouraging staying on designated trails
- Motor vehicle or equestrian exclusion from some areas
Franklin, Jerry F. and C.T. Dyrness. Natural Vegetation of Oregon and Washington. USFS PNW Forest and Range Exp. Station, Dept. of Agriculture. Portland, Oregon, General Tech. Rep. PNW-8, 1973.
Oregon Biodiversity Project. Oregon's Living Landscape: Strategies and Opportunities to Conserve Biodiversity. Defender's of Wildlife (Nature Conservancy) 1998.
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| More Information |
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For more information on plants and weeds within Oregon Parks and Recreation managed lands, or to report significant invasive species sightings, please contact either the local park office or Noel Bacheller (Oregon Parks and Recreation botanist) at 503-986-0732, noel.bacheller@state.or.us.
For more information on weeds and plant habitats in Oregon visit:
http://egov.oregon.gov/ODA/PLANT/WEEDS/
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