Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - The Portland Garden Club

The GCA Grant was for restoration of native plants lost during the fire. Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept wanted to move slowly to see to what degree plant life would return naturally before replanting native species, and it became apparent that the return of invasives in this area was a serious threat. In 2018 soon after the fire, the US Forest Service published its Burn Area Emergency Response report stating that “invasive species are the most serious ecological threat, due to the fact that large burned areas open the watersheds to the rapid spread of species adapted to colonizing disturbed soils.” With this realization, the Grant has been used for a combination of invasive removal and native shrub replanting.