as communicated via email 27 Oct 22
I expect you to work closely with Alex Gorman (OSU) and Patrick Shuls (WSU) to accomplish these objectives, David. I also included Robert Slesak and Dave Shaw on this correspondence because they will be valuable colleagues. I also expect you to work sufficiently closely with the EAB Task Force’s Research, IPM and Survey & Monitoring Subcommittees to ensure efficiency and avoid duplication of effort. I expect you to develop and reinforce respectful productive partnership relationships with all the landowners involved. I expect you to keep me reasonably informed of your activities and accomplishments.
You are ultimately responsible for delivering these work items, David.
- Develop a standardized Oregon ash inventory template:
- Targeted to moderate sized parcels (300-2000 acres?) of Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia)-relevant properties in Oregon and Washington. These could be non-industrial private forest landowners (Alex has contacts in Washington County; Patrick has contacts in Clark County) and publicly owned such as a WDNR conservation area, National Wildlife Refuge properties, BLM or FS properties.
- That will gather information on specific trees (maturity, seed bearing, importance qualities) so select trees can be considered as candidates for chemical protection.
- That will gather site information (riparian qualities, soil, flood probability, annual inundation depth and duration) so the places that Oregon ash grows which are likely to be inappropriate or appropriate for establishment and occupation by alternate tree species can be identified.
- Pilot this inventory template on at least 3 properties. Provide and interpret the resulting information to those landowners or land managers, and their chosen extension or consulting foresters (likely Alex or Patrick for the private non-industrials; haven’t figured out whom for the other landowners).
- Prepare management strategy outreach materials (for similar landownerships, above), to guide them in identifying and implementing their management goals for before, during and post-EAB invasion.
- Identify specific options suitable for research and monitoring that such landownerships can participate in.
- Facilitate respectful relationships with each of these landowners.
I would appreciate your thoughts on these deliverables. If some of this doesn’t sound like your skill set or there are other opportunities that you would be more skilled at and jazzed about, let us know. It’s unfortunate that I don’t have sufficient funding for you to see some of these plans through to the spring time for pesticide injections and monitoring tree girdling, but this will be a great start and help bridge important gaps in the EAB response efforts in Oregon and Washington.
Advised by Dave Shaw
Sampled several ash-dominant, large stand sites in the mid to north Willamette Valley (listed N to S):
- Tualatin Hills Nature Park
- Willamette Mission State Park
- Ankney National Wildlife Refuge
- OSU Soap Creek Ranch
- Jackson Frasier Wetland
Possibly some of these sites could be re-sampled if the 2015 data would be useful addition?
On wetter sites where ash is dominant, no other tree species seems capable of forming closed canopies. Smaller species found include:
- cascara (Frangula purshiana)
- Suksdorf's hawthorn (Crataegus suksdorfii)
- single-seeded hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) (non-native)
- common pear (Pyrus communis) (non-native)
- Pacific crab apple (Malus fusca)
Mesic sites, especially disturbed sites, contained Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) as a co-dominant part of the overstory
Community type wetland index score (CTWI) was used to classify site wetness. Depth to soil mottling was also reported
Reported soil series included:
- Natroy
- Waldo
- Bashaw
- Amity
- Wapo
- McBee
- Dayton
Link for Survey123 app that Max from ODA put together