Oak Management Pathway
Step 1.2: Making sense of ecological complexity
ECOP has developed tools to assist land managers with understanding a site’s current condition and carrying capacity. Read on to learn more about Ecological Site Descriptions and ECOP’s Condition Assessment Tool.
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Ecological Site Descriptions
The site characteristics described above tend to show up in patterns across the landscape, which gives us the opportunity to describe, or classify, oak systems. NRCS recently updated its Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) that describe some ways Oregon white oak systems show up in our region. Classifying your oak system will help you determine which management guidance is most appropriate for your site.
If you want to find out which ESD best describes your site, we have a key you can use. Learn more about common ESDs in the East Cascades oak landscape and follow the ESD key here.
Condition Assessment Tool
Oak systems like those pictured below are as diverse as people’s management goals. Management guidance is not one size fits all. For that reason, ECOP developed an assessment tool that looks for signs of stress that may signal a need for management and can help you recognize conservation values you may want to safeguard. Click here to get started with the ECOP Condition Assessment Tool!
