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Plants
Excellence in Protection and Management of Botanical Resources
Photo by Rod Clausnitzer
This site contains information about Botany Programs in the Forests of Oregon and Washington. The basis for most programs is the Threatened Endangered and Sensitive Plant Program. Botanists at Forests are charged with surveying for these rare plants in proposed project areas and recommending mitigation measures if they are found, monitoring selected populations, and developing conservation plans. Botanists on the west side of the Cascades are also charged with surveying project areas for Survey and Manage species, including bryophytes, lichens and fungi. Educational activities are important.We offer many opportunities during Celebrating Wildflowers Activities.
Botanists are also involved in restoration of native ecosystems. On many Forests, we are program managers for Noxious Weeds. We have, in conjunction with geneticists, also taken the lead on developing Restoration with Natives programs. We have completed several common garden studies to determine seed movement guidelines, we have used natives and weed free mulch on many types of projects and have developed educational materials for our co-workers to use.
General Information about PNW Forest Service Botany Programs
Each Botany program in the Pacific Northwest is different. All programs have some component that deals with conservation of rare species and a component that deals with restoration of disturbed habitats. On the west side of the Cascades, Forest programs focus more on old growth associated species and surveys while the east side Cascades forests deal more with fire planning, range allotments and noxious weed issues.
A good way to get a view of what your local Forest is doing is to look at their Forest Accomplishment Report. It will tell you highlights of the program: what new species were encountered and what special projects and activities occurred. It will tell you if conservation documents were developed and how they will protect and enhance conservation of species. It will show you what restoration activities occurred on the Forest.
Contact Information
If you have any questions on the regional program please contact Mark Skinner, mskinner02@fs.fed.us
