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Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge, where the Columbia River cuts through the Cascade Range, is shared with our neighboring state of Oregon. The steep, dissected slopes and dramatic changes in temperature and precipitation as one goes from west to east through the gorge have created many different micro-environments. As a result, the area has a high species diversity, including a number of endemic plant species.
The Columbia River Gorge is also thought to have been a major corridor for plant species migration through the millennia.
Ecological Systems of the Columbia River Gorge
North Pacific Maritime Dry-Mesic Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest
East Cascades Mesic Montane Mixed-Conifer Forest and Woodland
