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Erosion Control
elderberry snowberry redtwig dogwood dryas

Whether you own property with eroding slopes, fish, swim or raft in Oregon streams, or enjoy viewing wildlife dependent on healthy watersheds, you have a steak in erosion control efforts throughout the Pacific Northwest. Silt and soil run-off threaten watershed health throughout the Willamette Valley wherever logging or development impacts our land. Landowners experience economic loss from erosion of land on waterways, the cost of water filtration in cities is increasing, harbors are experiencing increased expenses for dredging projects, and fish and wildlife habitat is compromised by erosion in our watersheds.


a SOLV volunteer romoves ivy from a tree at Fields Creek
photo© Lory Duralia

It is simple to be part of the solution to erosion problems in Oregon. Three important rules to plant by if you want to prevent erosion on your property or on large scale land reclamation or developement projects: 1. Plant natives, which are adapted to our climate and rainfall patterns and are pest and disease resistant. If you choose the right native for your site, it can survive without irrigation. Irrigating a slope already saturated is a sure-fire recipe for erosion. 2. Plan for a variety of root structures. Lace your soil with a supporting web of roots of varying depths. 3. Plan for a variety of plant structures. Giving consideration to sun, shade and soil, plant ground covers, trees and understory shrubs.

It should be noted that ivy, that all-too-common erosion remedy, turns out to be no remedy at all. It meets none of the requirements detailed above. It is non-native, creating a monoculture as it spreads and smothers neighboring plants, leaving vast swaths with only one root depth. Those roots are shallow, and ivy tends to slough off in large sheets. Ivy also favors our native deciduous trees as climbing posts to reach the sun. Once up in our maples and alders, it branches out like a shrub, weighs down trees accustomed to leafless lightness in winter, and then weakens the trees further through loss of light from the blanketing ivy. These trees are ripe for harvesting by the next high wind.

sword fern
                         sword fern ©Ellen Mast
Among our best natives for erosion control, sword fern has deep, strong roots, is readily available and easy to establish. Plant it in clumps, ribbon in native strawberries and yarrow. Vancouveria is another good ground cover choice. Fast growing, its leaves hold late, turning a lovely yellow in fall and early winter. Choice shrubs include redtwig dogwood, snowberry, elderberry, thimbleberry, salal and oceanspray. Indian plum is another good shrub for erosion control, and it has the added benefit of luminous, graceful white flowers that bloom before just about everything else in the spring. Trees that can work well on slopes include western red cedar, Douglas fir, and madrone, among others.
indian plum
                 indian plum©Ellen Mast

Before planting a slope, know it. Look for sources of water runoff, such as gutters or driveways draining on it, and reroute the water. If the slope is already destabilized, your efforts won't save it. Check for cracks along the top. These are signs that the slope is going to fail. If you find those, you should call a professional.


               kinnikinnik©Ellen Mast
OREGON NATIVES FOR EROSION CONTROL
PLANTS FOR DRY, SUNNY AREAS
TREES
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Abies grandis, grand fir dry to moist soil, full to partial sun deep roots
Abies lasiocarpa, subalpine fir dry soil, full sun deep roots
Abies procera, noble fir dry to moist soil, full sun deep roots
Acer macrophyllum, big-leaf maple dry to wet soil, full sun deep roots
Arbutus menziesii, Pacific madrone dry soil, full sun deep roots
Cornus nuttallii, Pacific dogwood dry to moist soil, full to part sun deep roots
Picea sitchensis, sitka spruce dry to moist soil deep roots
Pinus contorta, shore pine dry soil, full sun seep roots
Pinus contorta var. latifolia, lodgepole pine dry soil, full sun deep roots
Pinus ponderosa, western ponderosa pine dry soil, full sun deep roots
Populus tremuloides, quaking aspen dry to moist soil, full sun deep roots
Prunus virginiana, chokecherry dry soil, full sun deep roots
Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas fir dry to moist soil, full sun deep roots
Quercus garryana, Oregon white oak dry to moist soil, full sun deep roots
Sambucus cerulea, blue elderberry dry to moist soil deep roots
Thuja plicata, western red cedar dry to wet soil, full sun deep roots
Tsuga mertensiana, mountain hemlock dry soil, full sun deep roots
SHRUBS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Amelanchior alnifolia,serviceberry dry to moist soil, full sun medium depth
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, kinnikinnik dry soil, full sun medium depth
Baccharis pilularis, coyote brush dry soil, full sun deep to medium depth
Ceanothus integerrimus, deer brush dry soil, full sun deep roots
Holodiscus discolor, oceanspray dry to moist soil, full sun to full shade deep roots
Mahonia aquifolium, tall Oregon grape dry to moist soil, full sun to full shade medium depth
Mahonia repens, creeping Oregon grape dry to moist soil, full sun to full shade medium depth
Myrica californica, Pacific wax myrtle dry soil, full sun deep roots
Philadelphus lewisii, mock orange dry to moist soil, full sun medium depth
Rhus glabra, smooth sumac dry to moist soil, full sun medium depth
Ribes aureum, golden currant dry to moist soil, full sun medium depth
Ribes sanguineum, red flowering current dry to moist soil, full sun to part shade medium depth
Rosa gymnocarpa, baldhip rose dry to moist soil, full sun to part shade medium depth
Rosa nootkana, nootka rose dry to wet soil, full sun medium depth
Rosa pisocarpa, clustered rose dry to moist soil, full sun medium depth
Spiraea betulifolia var. lucida, birch-leaf spirea dry to moist soil, full sun medium depth
spiraea densiflora, subalpine spirea dry to moist soil, full sun medium depth
LOW-GROWING PLANTS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Achillea millifolium, common yarrow dry soil, full sun shallow roots
Anaphalis margaritacea, pearly everlasting dry soil, full sun shallow
Asclepias speciosa, showy milkweed dry soil, full sun shallow
Aster subspicatus, Douglas aster dry to moist soil, full sun shallow
Epilobium angustifolium, fireweed dry soil, full sun shallow
Festuca idahoensis, Idaho fescue dry soil, full sun shallow
Fragaria chiloensis, coastal strawberry dry to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Fragaria virginiana, wild strawberry dry to moist soil, full sun shallow
Juncus effusus, common rush dry to wet soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Lonicera hispidula, chaparral honeysuckle dry to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Lupinus rivularis, streambank lupine dry to wet soil shallow
Solidago canadensis, goldenrod dry soil, full sun shallow
Sisyrinchium bellum, blue-eyed grass dry to moist soil, full sun shallow
PLANTS FOR DRY, SHADY AREAS
TREES
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Rhamnus purshiana, cascara dry to wet soil, full to part shade deep roots
SHRUBS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Gaultheria shallon, salal dry to moist soil, full to part shade medium depth
Holodiscus discolor, oceanspray dry to moist soil, full sun to full shade deep roots
Mahonia nervosa, Cascade Oregon grape dry to moist soil, full to part shade medium depth
Oemlaria cerasiformis, Indian plum dry to moist soil, full to part shade medium depth
Symphoricarpos albus, common snowberry dry to wet soil, full to part shade medium depth
Symphoricarpos mollis, creeping snowberry dry to moist soil, full to part shade medium depth
Vaccinium ovatum, evergreen huckleberry dry to moist soil, full to part shade medium depth
Vaccinium parvifolium, red huckleberry dry to moist soil, full to part shade medium depth
LOW-GROWING PLANTS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Achlys triphylla, vanilla leaf dry to moist soil, full shade shallow roots
Aquilegia formosa, western columbine dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Aruncus sylvester, goatsbeard dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Asarum caudatum, wild ginger dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Dicentra formosa, Pacific bleeding heart dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Fragaria vesca, woods strawberry dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Heuchera chlorantha, meadow alumroot dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Heuchera micrantha, small-flowered alumroot dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Hydrophyllum tenuipes, Pacific waterleaf dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Luzula parviflora, small-flowered wood rush dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Montia parvifolia, small-leaved montia dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Montia siberica, candyflower dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Polystichum munitum, sword fern dry to wet soil, full to part shade medium depth
Tolmiea menziesii, piggy-back plant dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Vancouveria hexandra, inside-out flower dry to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
PLANTS FOR WET, SUNNY AREAS
TREES
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Acer macrophyllum, big-leaf maple dry to wet soil, full sun deep roots
Alnus rubra, red alder wet to moist soil, full sun deep roots
Crataegus douglasii, black hawthorn wet to moist soil, full sun deep
Fraxinus latifolia, Oregon ash wet to moist soil, full sun deep
Populus balsamifera var. trichocarpa, black cottonwood wet to moist soil, full sun deep
Thuja plicata, western red cedar dry to wet soil, full sun deep
Salix sp., willows wet to moist soil, full sun deep
SHRUBS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Cornus stolonifera, red osier dogwood moist to wet soil, full sun to part shade deep roots
Philadelphus lewisii, mock orange dry to wet soil, full sun medium depth
Physocarpus capitatus, Pacific ninebark wet to moist soil, full sun to part shade deep roots
Rosa nootkana, nootka rose dry to wet soil, full sun medium depth
Rosa pisocarpa, clustered rose dry to wet soil, full sun medium
Spiraea douglasii, Douglas spirea dry to wet soil, full sun medium
LOW-GROWING PLANTS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Camassia leichtlinii, great camas wet to moist soil (likes to dry out in summer) shallow roots
Camassia quamash, common camas wet to moist soil (likes to dry out in summer) shallow
Carex deweyanna, dewey sedge wet to moist soil, full sun shallow
Carex obnupta, slough sedge wet to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Deschampsia caespitosa, tufted hairgrass wet to moist soil, full sun shallow
Eleocharis palustris, creeping spikerush wet to moist soil, full sun shallow roots
Geum macrophyllum, large-leaved avens wet to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Juncus balticus, baltic rush wet to moist soil, full sun shallow
Juncus effusus, common rush dry to wet soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Juncus ensifolius, dagger-leaved rush wet to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Juncus patens, spreading rush wet to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Scirpus acutus, hard-stem bulrush wet to boggy soil, full sun shallow
Scirpus microcarpus, small-fruited bulrush wet to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Sisyrinchium californicum, yellow-eyed grass wet to moist soil, full sun to part shade shallow
Typha latifolia, common cattail boggy soil, full sun shallow
Sagittaria latifolia, wapato wet to boggy soil, full sun shallow
PLANTS FOR WET, SHADY AREAS
TREES
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Acer circinatum, vine maple wet to moist soil, full to part shade deep roots
Rhamnus purshiana, cascara dry to wet soil, full to part shade deep roots
SHRUBS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Rubus spectabilis, salmonberry wet to moist soil, full to part shade medium depth
Symphoricarpos albus, common snowberry wet to moist soil, full to part shade medium
LOW-GROWING PLANTS
Plant Species Cultural Requirements Root Depth
Athyrium felix-femina, lady fern wet to mist soil, full to part shade medium depth
Blechnum spicant, deer fern dry to wet soil, full to part shade shallow roots
Dryopteris austriaca, wood fern wet to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Maianthemum dilatatum, false lily-of-the-valley wet to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Polypodium glycyrrhiza, licorice fern wet to moist soil, full to part shade shallow
Polystichum munitum, sword fern dry to wet soil, full to part shade medium depth

table contents, thanks to Chad Bartell, horticulturist extrodinaire

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