Hunting Christmas Trees to Save the Oak Savanna

In the South Hills on a crisp December afternoon

In the southern Willamette Valley oak savanna is a fast disappearing landscape. Requiring frequent fire to keep the young conifers at bay, settlement of the Valley has removed fire and led to loss of the vast majority of this attractive ecosystem. This weekend we were invited to cut fir trees on a friend's property - and annual tradition - an outdoor afternoon, a tree for the season, and a small gesture to keep Eugene's South Hills from completely turing into 2nd growth fir thickets.