Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F004BX112CA
Oregon White Oak/Perennial And Annual Grasses,
lower mountain slopes,
sandstone and mudstone, silty clay loam
Accessed: 08/19/2026
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Draft. A draft ecological site description is either incomplete or has not undergone quality control and quality assurance review.
Associated sites
F004BX114CA Oregon white oak/perrenial and annual grasses, mountain slopes, sandstone and mudstone, clay loam
Site F004BX114CA is found in conjunction with this site. The overstory vegetation is similar but the variation in understory species is distinct.
R004BX101CA Upper prairie, mountain slopes, sandstone and mudstone, clay loam
R004BX101CA is found in adjacent to this site. Small individual groups of oaks may occur in R004BX101CA but not to the extent of those in this ecological site.
Similar sites
F004BX114CA Oregon white oak/perrenial and annual grasses, mountain slopes, sandstone and mudstone, clay loam
F004BX114CA is similar to F004BX112CA in the overstory species composition, however the understory for each is distinct.
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree (1) Quercus garryana
Shrub Not specified
Herbaceous (1) Festuca californica
(2) Melica subulataPhysiographic features
This ecological site is found east of Redwood Creek. It occurs on uniform to slightly concave slump positions on lower mountain slopes which are steep to very steep.
Table 2. Representative physiographic features
Landforms (1) Mountain slope
(2) Flow
Flooding frequency None Ponding frequency None Elevation 170 – 2950 ft Slope 30 – 50 % Water table depth 12 – 20 in Aspect Aspect is not a significant factor Climatic features
The climate is humid with cool, foggy summers, and cool, moist winters. Coastal influence limits the diurnal range in temperatures. Average summertime temperatures range from 66 to 70 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 70 to 85 inches and usually falls from October to May.
Table 3 Representative climatic features
Frost-free period (average) 270 days Freeze-free period (average) 270 days Precipitation total (average) 90 in BarLineFigure 1. Monthly precipitation range
BarLineFigure 2. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature
">Influencing water features
There are no influencing water features on this site.
Soil features
These somewhat poorly-drained, very deep soils developed from colluvium derived from earth flow deposits of sandstone and mudstone. They are moderately to strongly acidic at 40 inches with a loamy subsurface rock content ranging from non-gravelly to gravelly.
Soils that have been tentatively correlated to this ecological site include the following.
Soil Survey Area: CA605 - Redwood National Park
Mapunit Symbols Soil Components
483 DoolyvilleTable 4. Representative soil features
Surface texture (1) Sandy loam
Family particle size (1) Loamy
Drainage class Somewhat poorly drained Permeability class Moderately slow to slow Soil depth 60 – 0 in Surface fragment cover <=3" 0 – 15 % Surface fragment cover >3" Not specified Available water capacity
(0-40in)4 – 8 in Calcium carbonate equivalent
(0-40in)Not specified Electrical conductivity
(0-40in)Not specified Sodium adsorption ratio
(0-40in)Not specified Soil reaction (1:1 water)
(0-40in)5.1 – 6 Subsurface fragment volume <=3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 35 % Subsurface fragment volume >3"
(Depth not specified)0 – 5 % Ecological dynamics
This site’s plant community is a mosaic pattern of Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) in the overstory with grass glades and forbs making up the understory. The closed canopy is dominated by larger, older individuals while the sub-canopy contains oaks of all sizes.
Historically, this site was periodically burned by Native Americans to keep the woodlands open and to attract wildlife (Sugihara, 1987). This periodic burning kept conifer and brush invasion down and helped maintain the native grasses. With continued periodic fire, these sites may maintain larger, older stands with more widely spaced oak trees and some open glades.
Oregon white oak will sprout following cutting or moderate to severe fire, resulting in oak thickets. Sprouting ability declines with age and mature oaks may not sprout at all following disturbance. Natural regeneration of oak woodlands may be hindered by many factors. These including: competition from grasses, seedling browsing, disease, and acorn depredation. Regeneration of oak within the park is primarily through sprouting (Sugihara and Reed, 1987) and more aggressive introduced perennial and annual grasses may be a significant influence in the success of oak regeneration (Holland and Kiel, 1995).
In the early 1900s, fire suppression activities began which allowed subsequent conifer encroachment. Logging and road building activities in adjacent areas exposed bare soil that was colonized by Douglas-fir (Sugihara and Reed, 1987). Sheep grazing was common during the late 1800s through the early 1900s and led to the introduction of exotic species which replaced some native plants.
State and transition model
Custom diagramStandard diagram
Figure 3. Oregon white oak model
More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective textEcosystem states
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 2 submodel, plant communities
State 3 submodel, plant communities
State 4 submodel, plant communities
State 5 submodel, plant communities
State 6 submodel, plant communities
State 7 submodel, plant communities
State 8 submodel, plant communities
State 9 submodel, plant communities
State 1
Oregon white oak/OrchardgrassCommunity 1.1
Oregon white oak/OrchardgrassPlant Community 1. The interpretive plant community for this ecological site is the historic climax plant community (HCPC). The overstory is dominated by Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) with perennial forbs and a few perennial grasses dominating the understory. Perennial grasses may include orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) and Alaska oniongrass (Melica subulata). Shrub cover is low with poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilibum) occasionally present.
1a) Timber harvesting and continuous grazing may allow an infill of introduced perennial and annual grasses to occur, which will replace natives. See PC#9. This process will progress and cross the threshold to State 2. Restoration of the oak woodland plant community can only be accomplished through significant management inputs. If the oak community is senescent when cut it may not re-sprout, or sprouting will be poor.
1b) With fire suppression, Douglas-fir will infill from adjacent forests. Infill may also occur in areas disturbed by road-building or adjacent timber harvest. See PC#2.
1c) Repeated fires maintain the oak woodland overstory and the grass-dominated plant community.
State 2
Oregon white oak/Douglas-firCommunity 2.1
Oregon white oak/Douglas-firPlant Community 2. After years of fire exclusion, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) will infill from adjacent seed sources. Douglas-fir infill may form a carpet of seedlings underneath the oaks.
2a) Douglas-fir regeneration will continue to grow with continued fire exclusion and will eventually overtop the oaks. This process of infill will progress and eventual cross the threshold to State 2. Restoration of the oak woodland plant community can only be accomplished through significant management inputs. See PC#4.
2b) With inputs such as tree girdling and repeated prescribed fire, the infill of Douglas-fir can be significantly reduced. Tree girdling would not be a common practice and would likely only be feasible for very small areas. The use of periodic prescribed fire would limit the encroachment of conifers. See PC#1.
State 3
Oregon white oak/native perennial grasses and forbsCommunity 3.1
Oregon white oak/native perennial grasses and forbsPlant Community 3. In the presumed historic climax plant community (HCPC), the site was dominated by tree stands of all sizes and ages. Repeated burning by Native Americans reduced the number of oak stems, resulting in an open savanna-like stands (Sugihara, 1987). The canopy was closed, and intermixed with the oaks were grass glades. The understory was likely dominated by native perennial grasses and forbs.
3a) Fire exclusion and uncontrolled grazing by livestock led to an invasion of introduced perennial and annual grasses. See PC#1.
3b) Fire exclusion or timber harvest activities led to an infill of Douglas-fir seedlings. See PC#2.
3c) Periodic fire maintained the oak woodland plant community.
3d) Timber harvesting or tree girdling, along with continuous grazing of livestock, led to an invasion of introduced perennial and annual grasses. This process progressed on some sites to cross the threshold to State 2. Restoration of the oak woodland plant community can only be accomplished through significant management inputs. See PC#9.
State 4
Douglas-fir/ Oregon white oakCommunity 4.1
Douglas-fir/ Oregon white oakPlant Community 4. After 30 to 40 years, Douglas-fir will grow in height to overtop the oak. Douglas-fir will dominate the overstory canopy, and Oregon white oak will survive for a time in openings.
4a) With fire exclusion and continued growth, the oaks are slowly shaded out by the conifers; they begin to senesce and will eventually cease to be part of the site. See PC#5.
Patches of Oregon white oak within Douglas-fir dominated stands could be maintained with prescribed fire.
4b) With fire exclusion, gradual infill of shade-tolerant tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) may occur. Infill of redwood may also occur from adjacent seed sources, leading to PC#6. Any Oregon white oak remaining begins to senesce and eventually ceases to be found on site.
State 5
Douglas-firCommunity 5.1
Douglas-firPlant Comunity 5. Douglas-fir may eventually completely dominate the overstory as a dense even-aged single species stand. No reproduction of oaks can occur under the shade of conifers. Only the skeletal trunks of oaks remain.
5a) With fire exclusion, and if there is a seed source present, tanoak can gradually begin to infill underneath the canopy of Douglas-fir. Redwoods will eventually being to infill from adjacent seed sources. See PC#6.
State 6
Douglas-fir/tanoak/redwoodCommunity 6.1
Douglas-fir/tanoak/redwoodPlant Community 6. The Douglas-fir/tanoak/redwood plant community has become established with Douglas-fir in the overstory and tanoak in the sub-canopy.
6a) With fire exclusion, and if a seed source is present, infill of redwood may occur below the Douglas-fir/tanoak overstory. Over a very long period of time, redwood can eventually become the dominant conifer. See PC#7.
State 7
Redwood/Douglas-fir/tanoakCommunity 7.1
Redwood/Douglas-fir/tanoakPlant Community 7. With continued fire exclusion, a redwood/ Douglas-fir overstory forms. Tanoak dominates the sub-canopy. In higher elevations, Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii) may also be part of the sub-canopy.
State 8
Scotchbroom/Introduced annual and perennial grassesCommunity 8.1
Scotchbroom/Introduced annual and perennial grassesPlant Community 8. Scotch broom (Cystisus scoparius) and other introduced annual and perennial grasses may invade converted grassland if fire is excluded from the site.
8a) Chemical control or mechanical brush management would be required to reduce or eliminate brush invasion. See PC#9. the use of fire could act to perpetuate the plant community.
8b) With fire exclusion, Douglas-fir could infill from adjacent seed sources.
State 9
Introduced perennial and annual grasses and forbsCommunity 9.1
Introduced perennial and annual grasses and forbsPlant Community 9. With continuous grazing, the plant community is converted to grassland and is dominated by introduced perennial and annual grasses.
9a) Fire exclusion and uncontrolled grazing could lead to a gradual invasion of scotch broom and introduced annual grasses such as bristly dogstail grass (Cynosurus echinatus). See PC#8.
9b) Fire exclusion could also allow for a gradual infill of Douglas-fir. See PC#5.
Additional community tables
Table 5. Community 1.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 6. Community 2.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 7. Community 3.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 8. Community 4.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 9. Community 5.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 10. Community 6.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 11. Community 7.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 12. Community 8.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Table 13. Community 9.1 plant community composition
Group Common name Symbol Scientific name Annual production () Foliar cover (%) Interpretations
Animal community
Oak woodlands are important for a variety of wildlife species. They provide a food and nesting sources for woodpeckers. The cover type provides hunting opportunities for raptors. The acorns are eaten by black-tailed deer, pig, black bear, various rodents and numerous birds including turkey and quail. Oak sprouts are often browsed by deer.
Hydrological functions
These soils have a moderately slow infiltration rate when thoroughly wet. They are very deep, somewhat poorly-drained, and have a moderately fine texture.
Hydrologic Group:D
Recreational uses
Limitations to development of recreational sites may occur due to slow permeability, slopes greater than 15 percent, and a potential for soil saturation.
Wood products
Oregon white oak is a highly valued wood for fuel.
Supporting information
Inventory data references
There are no transects or forestry plots for this ecological site.
Contributors
Judy Welles
Rangeland health reference sheet
Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health is a qualitative assessment protocol used to determine ecosystem condition based on benchmark characteristics described in the Reference Sheet. A suite of 17 (or more) indicators are typically considered in an assessment. The ecological site(s) representative of an assessment location must be known prior to applying the protocol and must be verified based on soils and climate. Current plant community cannot be used to identify the ecological site.
Author(s)/participant(s) Contact for lead author Date Approved by Approval date Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on Annual Production Indicators
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Number and extent of rills:
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Presence of water flow patterns:
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Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
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Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
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Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
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Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
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Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
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Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
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Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
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Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
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Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
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Functional/Structural Groups (list in order of descending dominance by above-ground annual-production or live foliar cover using symbols: >>, >, = to indicate much greater than, greater than, and equal to):
Dominant:
Sub-dominant:
Other:
Additional:
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Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
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Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
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Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
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Potential invasive (including noxious) species (native and non-native). List species which BOTH characterize degraded states and have the potential to become a dominant or co-dominant species on the ecological site if their future establishment and growth is not actively controlled by management interventions. Species that become dominant for only one to several years (e.g., short-term response to drought or wildfire) are not invasive plants. Note that unlike other indicators, we are describing what is NOT expected in the reference state for the ecological site:
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Perennial plant reproductive capability:
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