Oregon white oak is one of just three oak species native to Oregon and the primary type of oak found in the Willamette Valley. Today, 90% of white oak habitat has been lost because of development and decades of fire suppression that altered the prairies where oaks once dominated. Most of the remaining white oak habitat is on private land, so private landowners can play a vital role in restoring white oaks and the dozens of other plants and animals they support, from acorn woodpeckers to the endangered white rock larkspur.

Since 2010, the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District has been working with private landowners to restore white oak habitat. That effort includes providing them with technical assistance and cost-sharing support from the district or the Natural Resources Conservation Service for restoration projects that can last several years and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Brendan Addis is a conservation specialist at the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District. He joins us along with Michael Hayes, a landowner he has been working with since 2024 to restore five acres on Hayes’ property south of Oregon City. They join us to share the changes they’ve seen on that project as it nears completion this fall.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/27/think-out-loud-willamette-valley-white-oak/