| Reintroducing northern wormwood to Oregon |
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| Promoting wormwood recovery |
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Project Goal
To promote recovery of northern wormwood by reintroducing populations of greenhouse grown transplants into managed sites within the plant’s historic range.
Project Duration
2005 - present
Background
Northern wormwood (Artemisia campestris ssp. borealis var. wormskioldii), a northwest endemic, occurs only in sand and pebble soils on the banks of the Columbia River. The construction of a series of dams on the Columbia beginning in the early 1900’s resulted in the disappearance of many of the ‘cobble bars’ that previously supported this rare species. This extirpation of many populations prompted ODA to list northern wormwood as endangered in 1995.
Summary
- To ascertain the current status of this rare endemic, a survey of all accessible historic locations in Oregon was completed by the Native Plant Conservation Program in 2005. Additionally, areas that contained potentially suitable habitat, but were not currently occupied, were identified. Although no plants were found in historic sites on the Oregon side of the river, several sites that both contained potentially suitable habitat and occurred on administratively protected, publicly owned land were located.
- Working with the Washington Public Utilities Department and the Washington Natural Heritage Program, NPCP staff collected seed from plants at one of the two currently extant sites (both of which occur in Washington). To determine the feasibility of creating new populations of this rare species, a germination study using these seeds was completed, and the resulting plants were transplanted at the Washington site. The growth and reproduction of these transplants will be monitored to for several years to determine their potential for successful establishment.
Future Work
Information from this pilot study will guide the production and outplanting of transplants, as we work to reintroduce populations of this rare species to publicly owned sites in Oregon.
For more information about this species, visit the northern wormwood plant profile.
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