Why Oaks?
Oaks in the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion…
What makes them so special?
- Oak habitats contain a diversity of vegetation types, including woodland, chaparral, and mixed oak/conifer
- Oak habitats are some of the most biodiverse habitats in southern Oregon and northern California (many endemic plants, and more than 300 vertebrate species)
- Oak woodlands are an Oregon Conservation Strategy Habitat (ODFW 2006)
- Oaks provided critical physical and cultural resources for native people
- Oak are fire-adapted and was maintained using burning as a management tool
- A mosaic of oak vegetation provides fire resilience to the landscape
- Oak woodlands have experienced losses up to 33% in California and up to 95% in Oregon
- Threats include conifer encroachment, oak densification, intense fire, overgrazing, invasive exotic species, development and fragmentation
