Umatilla National Forest

Native Plants

Restoring Native Plant Species
to the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon and Washington

Plant Material Development and Restoration Activities

Native Conifer Restoration:

The three National Forests in the Blue Mountains province (Umatilla, Malheur, and Wallowa-Whitman) have all recently revised their Genetic Resource Management Plans to place greater emphasis on ponderosa pine, western larch, and western white pine. Over 400 acres of seed orchards are being established to help achieve a broad array of resource objectives through the use of genetically diverse and well-adapted growing stock. Greenhouse-based seed orchards have also been established at the Dorena Genetic Resource Center (Cottage Grove, OR) for high priority western larch breeding zones with severe seed shortages resulting from frost damage to flower buds, cone insect infestations, and low seed yields in wild stands. These containerized orchards are expected to be fully operational within the next 1-3 years. A common-garden study of Blue Mountain sources of ponderosa pine has just been completed, and seed collections are ongoing for similar studies involving western larch and Douglas-fir. Information from these studies will be used to refine and improve guidelines for seed transfer.

Although not dominant species in the Blue Mountains, western white pine and whitebark pine play important ecological roles in many upland and subalpine vegetation communities. Unfortunately, introduced diseases, insects, and fire exclusion have caused drastic declines in the abundance of both species. In addition, the wildfires of 1996 destroyed a significant proportion of the western white pine natural stands and plantations occurring in the Blue Mountains.

In an effort to restore western white pine to Blue Mountain ecosystems, wild selections are being screened at Dorena Genetic Resource Center for resistance to white pine blister rust. Resistant parents will be grafted into a centralized white pine seed orchard to provide reforestation seed for all three Blue Mountain National Forests. With respect to whitebark pine, there has been little active management of the species to date, and basic information such as stand location and condition is generally lacking. A reconnaissance survey will be initiated next field season, however, to map and inventory extant populations in the southern Blue Mountains.

Umatilla National Forest
2517 S.W. Hailey Avenue
Pendleton, OR 97801

541-278-3716