North Pacific Oak Woodland

This ecological system is limited to the southern portions of the North Pacific region. It occurs primarily in the Puget Trough and Willamette Valley but trickles down into the Klamath ecoregion and into California. These woodlands and forests are dominated by Oregon white oak and are found on dry, predominantly low-elevation sites and/or sites that experienced frequent presettlement fires. Many places are being invaded by Douglas-fir or other conifers with fire suppression. Pacific madrone is also not uncommon. Plant life under the tree canopy was historically composed of native grasses but is now mostly composed of non-native (introduced from other continents) grasses, as well as poison-oak, snowberry or ferns. For more information, see NatureServe Explorer.

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