Eastern Oregon Research Articles

A Matriarch's Picture Postcards: Capturing Life on Eastern Oregon's “Dead Ox Flat,” 1910–1920

A Matriarch's Picture Postcards: Capturing Life on Eastern Oregon's “Dead Ox Flat,” 1910–1920

Doc Hay: A Chinese Herbalist Combating the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic in America.

This is a story about a Chinese herbalist Ing “Doc” Hay who combated the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic in the America West. As an immigrant, he came to the States as a laborer, but he had knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine due to his family heritage. This made it possible for him to start practicing in the Chinese community in John Day, Oregon, until 1948 when he retired. During the time of the pandemic running wild in the 1910s, he prescribed formulas aimed at flu and boiled herbal decoction, personally delivering it to a working site for those Chinese laborers as well as non-Chinese patients. None of the laborer patients treated by him died during this deadly pandemic. Due to his success and fame, his practice was booming even after the Chinese community disappeared in John Day in later years. Doc Hay is always remembered in the history of earlier development in eastern Oregon, so that the site of his practicing, Kam Wah Chung and Co. Building, is now a national historic landmark. And more importantly, he has also been remembered by Chinese herbal medicine practitioners in the United States.

Longer-term post-fire succession on Wyoming big sagebrush steppe

We assessed plant community succession following prescribed fire on ungrazed Wyoming big sagebrush steppe, eastern Oregon. Treatments were burned (Burn; September and October, 2002) and unburned (Control) sagebrush steppe. Herbaceous yield, vegetation canopy cover and density were compared between treatments after fire (2003–18). Herbaceous yield in the Burn treatment was about double the Control for most of the study period. Prior to fire, native perennials comprised 90–95% of herbaceous yield. After fire, native perennials represented 78% (range 67–93%) and exotic annuals 22% (range 7–33%) of total yield. Exotic annuals increased after fire and responded in two stages. In the first 8 years after fire, desert alyssum dominated the annual plant composition. In the last half of the study, cheatgrass co-dominated the annual component with alyssum. Sagebrush recovery was slow and we estimated sagebrush cover would return to pre-burn levels, at the earliest, in 115 years. Burning Wyoming big sagebrush steppe would be detrimental to sagebrush-obligate wildlife for an extended time period, because of lost cover and structure provided by sagebrush. The additional forage provided on burned areas may give livestock manager’s greater flexibility to rest or defer unburned habitat for wildlife species of critical concern.

A Matriarch's Picture Postcards: Capturing Life on Eastern Oregon's “Dead Ox Flat,” 1910–1920

A Matriarch's Picture Postcards: Capturing Life on Eastern Oregon's “Dead Ox Flat,” 1910–1920

Riparian and adjacent upland forests burned synchronously during dry years in eastern Oregon (1650–1900 CE), USA

Riparian forests link terrestrial and freshwater communities and therefore understanding the landscape context of fire regimes in these forests is critical to fully understanding the landscape ecology. However, few direct studies of fire regimes exist for riparian forests, especially in the landscape context of adjacent upland forests or studies of long-term climate drivers of riparian forest fires. We reconstructed a low-severity fire history from tree rings in 38 1-ha riparian plots and combined them with existing fire histories from 104 adjacent upland plots to yield 2633 fire scars sampled on 454 trees. Historically (1650–1900), low-severity fires burned more frequently in upland than in riparian plots, but this difference was not significant (P=0.15). During more than half of the fire years at both sites, fires were extensive and burned synchronously in riparian and upland plots, and climate was significantly dry during these years. However, climate was not significantly dry when fires burned in only one plot type. Historically, entire riparian zones likely burned in these two study sites of the Blue Mountains during dry years. This study suggests that riparian and upland forests could be managed similarly, especially given the projected increases to fire frequency and intensity from impending climate change.

Animal Track Accumulation on Streambanks of Four Eastern Oregon Streams

A 2-yr study of livestock/wildlife tracking was conducted on four streams in eastern Oregon. Binomial sampling of tracks proved to be an effective statistical method for monitoring the proportion of samples containing tracks on stream greenlines and testing the observed value against an established standard. Study results indicate that tracks are related to variables outside of the control of livestock grazing management.

Do shrubs improve reproductive chances of neighbors across soil types in drought?

Plant reproduction is highly sensitive to stress from severe weather. While facilitation has been shown to buffer negative impacts along stress gradients, less is known about facilitating plant reproduction in drought periods. Because intensity and frequency of drought are predicted to increase, plant reproductive facilitation has important implications for a species ability to adapt to changes in climate. Our primary study objective is to test if nurse shrubs act as reproductive micro-refugia across soil types, by improving reproductive potential of perennial bunchgrass neighbors subjected to severe drought. To investigate this objective, we designed a fully factored study testing direct interaction between shrub and bunchgrasses in eastern Oregon sagebrush steppe, at two sites with different soil types. The study consisted of six simple effect treatments combining three moisture regimes (moist, ambient, and drought) with two shrub conditions (shrub intact or shrub removed). Our results indicate when facilitation of reproductive potential occurs, it occurs strongly and particularly in drought, consistent with the stress gradient hypothesis (SGH), where several species produced at least 54% more inflorescences in the presence of shrub neighbors. In addition, we found facilitation to be consistent with the SGH at the species level likely reflecting differences in plant strategy and perception of strain, but to follow alternative SGH models more closely at the site level where facilitation declined on the drier soil. Ultimately, our findings highlight the importance of facilitation in improving plant reproductive potential in drought, and support the role of nurse shrubs as micro-refugia in a changing climate.

How do plant communities differ between fire refugia and fire‐generated early‐seral vegetation?

AbstractAimsWildfires in dry forest ecosystems in western North America are producing fire effects that are more severe than historical estimates, raising concerns about the resilience of these landscapes to contemporary disturbances. Despite increasing fire activity, relatively little is known about the structure and composition of fire refugia — unburned or low‐severity burned patches where trees survived fire — or the degree to which their understory composition differs from fire‐generated early‐seral forests.LocationsFour recent large fires in dry mixed‐conifer forest in eastern Oregon, USA.MethodsWe sampled vegetation and environmental factors in 187 plots (100‐m2) in fire refugia (n = 52) and stand‐replacement patches (SRPs) (n = 135). We used non‐metric multidimensional scaling, indicator species analysis, and randomization tests to compare understory plant communities and diversity in fire refugia and SRPs 12–17 years post‐fire.ResultsUnderstory plant communities in fire refugia and SRPs showed strong compositional affinities, but exhibited shifts in reproductive trait prevalence and differences in landscape‐scale species richness. There were no differences in plot‐scale species richness or the occurrence of two prominent invasive annual grasses (Bromus tectorum, Ventenata dubia). The abundance of common obligate seeding species was similar between plot types, but resprouting and seed‐banking species became substantially more abundant in SRPs. Significantly more plant species occurred only in fire refugia, and significantly fewer in SRPs, than expected by chance.ConclusionsSimilarities in understory plant communities between fire refugia and early‐seral forest in SRPs provide evidence for the resilience of historically frequent‐fire forest understory communities to contemporary fire effects. However, fire refugia may serve an ecologically important role as patches with relatively intact forest structure, seed sources that contribute to post‐fire forest recovery, and as reservoirs of species and age structure that may be absent from the higher‐severity burned matrix.

Utilizing environmental DNA for fish eradication effectiveness monitoring in streams

Introductions of non-native fish have the potential to cause substantial economic and ecological losses. In the western United States, non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are widely established and pose a threat to the persistence of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), a native char listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, due to competition and hybridization. With brook trout identified as a factor limiting the recovery of ESA-listed bull trout in the Malheur Watershed of eastern Oregon, managers are pursuing brook trout eradication efforts. Key to the eradication efforts is reliable monitoring to ensure success. Traditional monitoring practices have included mechanical sampling methods such as seining, netting, and electrofishing, all of which are labor intensive and limited in reliability. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material naturally shed by organisms that can be found in bulk environmental samples without isolating individual organisms. Sampling for eDNA can often be done with less time and expense than traditional methods, making it ideal for effectiveness monitoring following fish eradication efforts. This study placed a single fish in a live-car where the species was not otherwise present and used eDNA sampling to infer the likelihood of detection downstream. Results suggest that a single fish can be detected reliably up to 500 m downstream when multiple samples are taken. This eDNA sampling method provides managers with the ability to conduct eradication effectiveness monitoring reliably and rapidly and may also be used to detect new fish invasions as well as rare or cryptic species.

Model and Validation of Single-Axis Tracking With Bifacial PV

Single-axis tracking is a cost-effective deployment strategy for large-scale ground-mount photovoltaic systems in regions with high direct-normal irradiance. Bifacial modules in 1-axis-tracking systems boost energy yield by 4%–15% depending on module type and ground albedo, with a global average of 9%. This benefit is in addition to the 15%–25% energy gain already afforded by single-axis tracking relative to fixed-tilt deployments. Here, we compare model results against field performance data for two side-by-side bifacial/monofacial tracked systems—one in Albuquerque, NM, USA, and one in eastern Oregon. The Albuquerque system shows monthly rear irradiance gain of 10%–14.9%, and the Oregon bifacial system has an average performance ratio 9.4% higher than the monofacial system. Both results match bifacial irradiance model results within uncertainty. Simulations show that smart tracking algorithms can offer more than 1% improvement on annual energy yield by adjusting tilt angle under cloudy conditions. Finally, ray-tracing simulations investigated edge brightening, suggesting a 15%–25% increase in rear irradiance at the ends of tracker rows, but up to 20% loss from center-mounted torque tubes, creating multiple shadows.

Spatial Associations of Vines Infected With Grapevine Red Blotch Virus in Oregon Vineyards.

Spread and in-field spatial patterns of vines infected with grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) were documented in Oregon vineyards using field sampling, molecular diagnostics, and spatial analysis. Grapevine petiole tissue collected from 2013 to 2016 was tested using quantitative polymerase chain reaction for GRBV. At Jacksonville in southern Oregon, 3.1% of vines were infected with GRBV in 2014, and GRBV incidence reached 58.5% of study vines by 2016. GRBV-infected plants and GRBV-uninfected plants were spatially aggregated at this site in 2015, and infected plants were spatially associated between years 2015 and 2016. In a southern Oregon vineyard near Talent, 10.4% of vines were infected with GRBV in 2014, and infection increased annually to 21.5% in 2016. At Talent, distribution of the infected vines was spatially associated across all years. GRBV infection was highest at Yamhill, in the Willamette Valley, where 31.7% of the tested vines had GRBV infection in 2014. By 2016, 59.2% of the vines tested positive for GRBV. Areas of aggregation increased and were spatially associated across all years. From 2013 to 2015, GRBV was not detected at Milton-Freewater in eastern Oregon. Spatial patterns of GRBV infection support evidence of spread by a mobile insect vector. GRBV is a significant threat to Oregon wine grape production because of its drastic year-over-year spread in affected vineyards.

Effects of season and interval of prescribed burns on pyrogenic carbon in ponderosa pine stands in the southern Blue Mountains, Oregon, USA

In ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of the western United States, prescribed burns are used to reduce fuel loads and restore historical fire regimes. The season of and interval between burns can have complex consequences for the ecosystem, including the production of pyrogenic carbon (PyC). PyC plays a crucial role in soil carbon cycling, displaying turnover times that are orders of magnitude longer than unburned organic matter. This work investigated how the season of and interval between prescribed burns affects soil organic matter, including the formation and retention of PyC, in a ponderosa pine forest of eastern Oregon. In 1997 a prescribed burn study was implemented in Malheur National Forest to examine the ecological effects of burning at 5 and 15-year intervals in either the spring or fall. In October 2015, both O-horizon and mineral soil (0–15 cm) samples were collected and analyzed for PyC concentration, content, and structure using the benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) method. O-horizon depth, carbon and nitrogen concentration and content, pH, and bulk density were also measured. Plots burned in the spring and fall had lower C and N stocks in the O-horizon compared to the unburned controls due to a reduction in O-horizon depth; however, we did not observe any differences in O-horizon concentration of C or N. Moreover, the concentrations and stocks of C and N in the mineral soil of plots burned in the spring or fall were the same as or only very slightly different from the unburned controls, suggesting that the prescribed burns on these sites have not adversely affected SOM quantity in the surface mineral soil carbon pools over the course of this 18-year experiment. Compared to unburned controls, we estimate that fall burns increased the mean PyC concentration of the mineral soil by 8.42 g BPCA/kg C. We did not detect a difference in mean PyC concentration of the mineral soil between the spring burns and the unburned controls; however, the spring burn plots did contain a number of isolated pockets with very high concentrations of PyC, suggesting a patchier burn pattern for these plots. In general, there was no detectable difference in any of the response variables when comparing the various prescribed burn treatments to one another. Reestablishing fire in these forests resulted in minor effects on the PyC concentration and pH, which may have beneficial impacts on soil carbon and available nutrients, while having few effects on other soil characteristics. This suggests that the application of low severity prescribed fires should result in little detrimental change to soils of ponderosa pine forests of the Southern Blue Mountains, while achieving management objectives such as reduction of surface fuels.

Influence of fire refugia spatial pattern on post-fire forest recovery in Oregon’s Blue Mountains

Fire regimes in many dry forests of western North America are substantially different from historical conditions, and there is concern about the ability of these forests to recover following severe wildfire. Fire refugia, unburned or low-severity burned patches where trees survived fire, may serve as essential propagule sources that enable forest regeneration. To quantify the influence of fire refugia spatial pattern and other biophysical factors on the process of post-fire tree regeneration; in particular examining both the proximity and density of surrounding refugia to characterize the landscape of refugial seed sources. We surveyed regeneration at 135 sites in stand-replacement patches across a gradient of fire refugia density in eastern Oregon, USA. We characterized the influence of refugial seed source pattern and other environmental factors on the abundance of regenerating seedlings, and examined the relationship between post-fire climate and the temporal pattern of ponderosa pine seedling establishment. Tree seedlings were present in 83% of plots 12–17 years post-fire, and densities varied substantially (0–67800 stems ha−1, median = 1100). Variation in seedling abundance was driven by the spatial patterns of refugial seed sources. Despite widespread post-fire shrub cover, high-severity burned forests have not undergone a persistent type conversion to shrublands. Ponderosa pine seedling establishment peaked 5–11 years after fire and was not closely associated with post-fire climate. Fire refugia and the seed sources they contain fostered tree regeneration in severely burned patches. Management practices that reduce refugia within post-fire landscapes may negatively influence essential forest recovery processes.

Ground crab spiders (Thomisidae: Xysticus) more abundant in grasslands invaded by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae)

Effectively managing invaded grasslands requires a comprehensive understanding of effects of the invader on key species in those ecosystems. Annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), are significant invaders of grasslands in the western United States and their presence has been found to influence vegetation and vertebrate wildlife. However, little is known about how annual grass invasions affect invertebrates, including spiders, which provide significant ecosystem services. This study examined the response of an important grassland predator, ground crab spiders (Thomisidae: Xysticus), to annual grass invasion in semi-arid grasslands of eastern Oregon. Crab spiders are ambush predators, and Xysticus is a ground-dwelling genus that forages primarily in litter. Spiders were sampled using pitfall traps and cover of invasive annual grasses and litter was surveyed for three years (2014–2016). Results revealed that abundance of ground crab spiders was positively associated with increased cover of invasive annual grasses and litter. A positive relationship between invasive annual grass and litter cover suggests that cheatgrass and medusahead contribute significantly to litter, which may result in the higher observed Xysticus abundance. Increased litter may provide these spiders with more prey, refugia, and foraging habitat or modulate extreme temperature and moisture conditions in this arid grassland.

Short-Term Response of Two Beneficial Invertebrate Groups to Wildfire in an Arid Grassland System, United States

Rangeland invertebrates contribute greatly to biodiversity and provide important services including pollination, pest control, and nutrient cycling. As wildfire frequency increases across these areas of the United States, it is imperative to understand how these disturbances affect beneficial invertebrate communities. We examined bee (Hymenoptera), spider (Araneae), and vegetative communities 1 yr before and 1 yr after a large wildfire swept across an intact grassland in eastern Oregon. Several sites were left unburned after the fire, and a before-after-control-impact study design was used to assess changes within the communities. Fire had no effect on bee or spider abundance, or spider diversity or richness; however, fire significantly increased native bee diversity and richness. In addition, composition of both native bee and spider communities differed significantly between burned and unburned areas 1 yr after the fire. Sheet web spiders (Linyphiidae) and several bee species (primarily large, generalist species) were associated with burned sites. Invasive annual grass and biological soil crust cover decreased significantly in burned sites, but maximum vegetation height and litter cover did not differ significantly among treatments. Forb abundance increased in burned sites; however, species richness of forbs in burned and unburned sites did not differ significantly 1 yr after the fire. Several forbs were indicative of burned areas including non-native species, such as Douglas’ knotweed (Polygonum douglasii) and Russian thistle (Salsola tragus), and native species such as Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis), hoary tansyaster (Machaeranthera canescens), and tall willowherb (Epilobium brachycarpum). This study demonstrates that both invertebrate and plant communities show strong short-term responses to wildfire, and our results can be used to inform management of rare habitat and biodiversity in rangelands impacted by wildfire in arid grasslands.

The New Natural Resource Economy: Implementing the healthy environment/healthy economy paradigm in eastern Oregon

ABSTRACTThe situation of rural America is in flux in the early twenty-first century, especially for communities with natural resource and agriculture-based economies dominated by industrialized commodity production. One noteworthy response has been the emergence in community development of the healthy environment/healthy economy paradigm. We use the term New Natural Resource Economy (NNRE) to characterize approaches to economic development based in the new paradigm. NNRE entails mainly small-scale entrepreneurs – the dominant business type in rural communities and nationally – who seek to meld ecology with economics. Here we report on a survey of NNRE entrepreneurs in eastern Oregon, asking and answering three questions: What is NNRE? Why is it important to rural communities? What challenges do NNRE entrepreneurs face?

An interview with Sam C. Saunders

AbstractSam C. Saunders, the son of Elizabeth Cundiff and Winston E. Saunders, was born in Richland, OR, on February 24, 1931. The family moved to La Grande, OR, in 1944, where Sam completed high school and two years at Eastern Oregon College. He then received the BSc degree in Mathematics from the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, in 1952, and he attended the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, receiving a PhD degree under Z. W. Birnbaum. After graduating, he accepted employment at the Boeing Company in its Mathematical Services Unit and, in 1972, a position as a Full Professor at Washington State University, Pullman, WA, from which he retired in 1996.

Source apportionment of trace elements and black carbon in an urban industrial area (Portland, Oregon)

This paper reports a current source apportionment study of trace elements and black carbon in particulate matter in industrial Southeast Portland, Oregon. The study aimed to determine whether metal pollution hotspots identified in the area in 2016 had been successfully mitigated by baghouse installation, or whether industrial sources continued to dominate local particulate matter. Particulate matter was filter-collected nearly continuously in 24-hour intervals between October 2017 and March 2018 (101 total filters). Filters were analyzed for 30 elements by x-ray fluorescence; black carbon was measured continuously during filter sampling using an aethalometer. EPA's Positive Matrix Factorization 5.0 was used for source apportionment modeling, yielding a 5-factor optimal solution. The source identities were resolved to be diesel and fuel emissions, sea salt, soil dust, secondary sulfates, and metals industry. The metals industry source was much less significant than expected, suggesting effective emissions reductions from the local factory. The source profiles' correlation with wind direction and speed using bivariate polar plots was examined to give further insight into the source identities and their locations. The NOAA HYSPLIT model was also used for air flow back-trajectory analysis. The results of the HYSPLIT and bivariate polar plots suggest that the coal power plant in eastern Oregon is a significant source of sulfates and mercury emissions. Using PMF on particulate matter data from a second industrial location in Southeast Portland (98 filters) revealed the same major sources except for the metals industry source, supporting the conclusion that regional sources dominate particulate matter metals composition, despite measurements made in an industrial urban location.

Resource selection and space use ofMyotis evotisin a western juniper woodland in Oregon

Resource selection models and estimates of home range provide land managers with information that is required to make informed decisions regarding wildlife conservation and management across multiple spatial scales. We used radiotelemetry to examine resource selection and space use of Myotis evotis (western long-eared myotis) in a western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) woodland in eastern Oregon, United States. Small sample sizes likely constrained our ability to detect differences between estimates of home range size for males (x = 424.2 ha, SE = 187.2) and lactating females (x = 205.85 ha, SE = 47.94). Our estimates are among the largest reported for Myotis species, but likely are biased low due to low ambient temperatures and the methods we used to estimate home range. Best resource selection models for males and lactating females differed across spatial scales, based on Akaike's information criteria with a bias correction term for small sample size (AICc). At the home range scale, resource use by lactating females was negatively related with distance from water, whereas males selected areas with > 0–10% canopy cover over areas with no canopy cover. At the landscape scale, resource use by males and lactating females decreased with increasing distance from roosts and water sources. Additionally, lactating females avoided areas with > 20% canopy cover more than areas with no canopy cover. These results emphasize the importance of managing pre-settlement woodlands located near roost sites and water sources for variable tree densities to maintain foraging areas for bats.

Strange Floods: The Upper Tail of Flood Peaks in the United States

AbstractWe examine the upper tail of flood peak distributions through analyses of annual peak observations from more than 8,000 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gaging stations and through hydrometeorological analyses of the storms that produce the most extreme floods. We focus on the distribution of the upper tail ratio, which is defined as the peak discharge for the flood of record at a stream gaging station divided by the sample 10‐year flood magnitude. The 14 June 1903 Heppner storm, which produced an upper tail ratio of 200, was the product of a hailstorm that formed along the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon, a region dominated by snowmelt flooding. A striking contrast between record flood peaks and the larger distribution of annual flood peaks in the United States is in the seasonality of flood occurrence, with record floods reflecting a much stronger contribution from warm season thunderstorm systems. Mountainous terrain and intense convective rainfall are important elements of the geography and hydrometeorology of extreme upper tail ratio flood peaks. The distribution of upper tail ratio values for USGS stream gaging stations does not depend on basin area, a result which is consistent with scaling results based on extreme value theory. Downscaling simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting model are used to examine the storm environment of the 1903 Heppner storm, along with two other record flood peaks near the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon from the USGS miscellaneous flood record, the July 1956 Meyers Canyon flood and the July 1965 Lane Canyon flood.