We're moving in with tractors and starting all over from scratch - completely taking out everything that's there and replanting with native grasses first, then trees.   –Robin Dobson, U.S. Forest Service

Imagine weeding 1500 acres of blackberry brambles. . . The Sandy River Delta site, at about 1500 acres, is one of the largest habitat restoration projects on the lower Columbia River. The U.S. Forest Service and its partners took on quite a challenge. It’s not only a huge area, but also one that had been degraded by industrial and agricultural use.

When grazing stopped after the land was acquired by the U.S. Forest Service, invasive plants such as Himalayan blackberry and reed canary grass quickly took over. Native plants didn’t stand a chance at that point.

The Forest Service didn’t just want to plant trees. Instead, the aim was to restore sustainable native plant communities, and return the mix of woods, prairie and wetlands to the site. This required a multi-year plan. First, experiment with different restoration methods in small plots. Next, cultivate the ground and grow oats for two years, to get rid of the invasives. Then, put in native plants in layers over time.

Monitoring processes inform us about the state of our environment, and track the results of restoration efforts. . .

Native plants are obviously well adapted to their environment, but restoring an area with native plants still takes time. To reach a point of sustainability where plants need little maintenance, usually an initial period of extra care and monitoring is needed to get plants established and replace those that don’t do well. At the Sandy River Delta, the large scale of the restoration project meant it was wise to begin by planting some test plots. After monitoring the test plots, the forest service could see how different plants and techniques worked at the site, and then decide how to proceed.

Monitoring is critical for tracking the health of streams and rivers, wildlife populations, air quality, and other environmental concerns.

Using a scientific process for monitoring