Federal Research Natural Areas in Oregon and Washington A
Guidebook for Scientists and Educators. 1972.
Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station,
Portland, Oregon.
Sitka spruce and western hemlock
growing on a headland immediately
adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.
The Neskowin Crest Research Natural Area
was established on October 26, 1941, as an
example of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) forest
growing adjacent to the ocean. The 278-ha. (686acre) tract is located in Tillamook County,
Oregon, and is administered by the Hebo Ranger
District (Hebo, Oregon), Siuslaw National
Forest. It is also a part of the Cascade Head
Experimental Forest, a 4,815-ha. (11,890-acre)
area maintained by the Pacific Northwest Forest
and Range Experiment Station for research and
demonstration of management techniques in
coastal spruce-hemlock forest (Madison 1957).
The natural area occupies all of section 2 except
the W1/2 NWl/4 SWl/4 and the W1/2 W1/2 of
section 1, T. 6 S., R. 11 W., Willamette meridian
(fig. NC-1). It lies at 45°05' N. latitude and 124
°00' W. longitude.
ACCESS AND
ACCOMMODATIONS
Access is via U.S. Highway 101 between Otis
Junction and Neskowin. A maintained trail, No.
1303, traverses the west half of the natural area
entering it from the south. To reach this trail, turn
west off U.S. Highway 101 onto Forest Road S61
at the Cascade
1
Description prepared by Dr. J. F. Franklin, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific
Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forestry
Sciences Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon.
Head summit. Continue on Forest Road S61 for
about 6 km. (3.7 miles) to its junction with Forest
Road S61K. Turn right on Road S61K and follow
it for 0.3 km. (0.2 mile) to the trail head. Trail
1303 enters the southwestern corner of the natural
area about 1.6 km. (1 mile) from the trail head;
the entry point is presently unmarked. The
southeastern corner of the natural area can
conveniently be reached via Forest Roads S61,
S61J, S61B, and a short cross-country walk.
Follow Road S61 west for about 4 km. (2.45
miles) from U.S. Highway 101 and turn right on
Road S61J for 0.5 km. (0.3 miles) to reach Road
S61B. Leave Road S61B after approximately 0.3
km. (0.2 mile) and walk northwesterly along a
definite ridge top to reach the natural area.
Numerous commercial accommodations are
available at Neskowin 1.6 km. (1 mile) north and
at Lincoln City, about 14 km. (9 miles) south.
Neskowin Creek Forest Camp is located along
the Neskowin scenic drive (old U.S. 101) within
the experimental forest.
ENVIRONMENT
The Neskowin Crest Research Natural Area is
topographically rugged. It occupies part of a
headland which is dissected by numerous
drainages. Along the northwest boundary, it
plunges abruptly into the ocean in a series of
cliffs. Topography is gentle only along major
ridgetops; slopes are steep. Elevations range from
sea level to over 427 m. (1,400 ft.) at the
southeast corner. The tops of the ocean cliffs the
lowest forested elevations - are 45 to 75 m. (150
to 250 ft.) in elevation. Numerous small
permanent streams rise within the natural area,
and drainages of several larger ones lie wholly or
predominantly within the natural area.
The natural area lies entirely on volcanic
bedrock, alkalic basalt flows, breccias, and
NC-1
water-lain pyroclastic rocks of late-Eocene age
(Snavely and Wagner 1964, Snavely and Vokes
1949). Indeed, the headland which it occupies
exists only because these volcanic materials are
more resistant than surrounding sedimentary
formations. However, there appears to be a
capping of marine tuffaceous siltstone over the
basalt bedrock in most locations; basaltic
outcrops are generally confined to ocean cliffs.
The western Oregon marine climate is
extremely pronounced in this ocean-side natural
area. It is wet and cool; seasonal and diurnal
fluctuations in temperature are minimal. Strong
ocean winds sweep the area. Although the bulk
of precipitation occurs in the winter, a summer
drought period is absent. A dominant climatic
phenomenon is the summer fog which envelops
the headland on most warm summer days. These
fogs condense on tree crowns and fall to the
ground as "fog-drip." A study of precipitation in
forests and in openings on Cascade Head near
the natural area indicated a 26-percent increase in
precipitation under stands due to fog-drip (Ruth
1954). The following climatic data are from the
nearest climatic station at experimental forest
headquarters (listed as Otis 2 NE in U .S.
Weather Bureau 1965):
Additional climatic data for this station and the
vicinity are available in Ruth (1954). Since the
weather station is lower in elevation and farther
inland, temperatures are probably somewhat
cooler and precipitation higher (especially when
fog-drip is included) on the natural area.
Soils in the natural area have not been mapped
or classified into series; however, profiles
examined can be best characterized as Astorialike Sols Bruns Acides. They have developed
primarily from tuffaceous siltstones
NC-2
although basalt bedrock sometimes causes
significant local modifications of the profiles.
Soils are moderately fine textured and moderately well drained. A typical profile consists of
the following horizons: 2- to 8-cm. 01 and 02; 5to 10-cm. very dark brown silt loam All; 7- to
23-cm. dark brown A12; 15- to 40-cm. dark
yellowish-brown silty clay loam A3 or B 1; 15to 80-cm. dark yellowish-brown silty clay loam
B2; and a B3 or C horizon, or both. Surface soils
are strongly acid (e.g., pH 5.3), high in organic
matter (e.g., > 20 percent) and total nitrogen
(e.g., 0.50 percent), and low in percent base
saturation (e.g., 10 percent).
BIOTA
Estimated area by SAF cover types (Society of
American Foresters 1954) are:
The area falls entirely within Kuchler's (1964)
Type 1, Spruce-Cedar-Hemlock Forest and the
Picea sitchensis Zone of Franklin and Dyrness
(1969).
Only two tree species are present in significant
numbers - Sitka spruce and western hemlock.
Occasionally red alder (Alnus rubra) and rarely
(Pseudotsuga
menziesii)
are
Douglas-fir
encountered in the spruce-hemlock stands. Large
old Sitka spruce, which average around 215-cm.
(85-in.) d.b.h. and 73 m. (240 ft.) in height, are
the most impressive specimens. These trees are
over 250 years of age. The bulk of the forest is
composed of spruce and hemlock about 120
years old, 75-to 100cm. (30- to 40-in.) d.b.h., and
60 m. (200 ft.) tall (fig. NC-2). Over most of the
natural area, both age classes are intermixed with
old growth scattered through younger stands.
Successional processes are obvious throughout
the natural area. Large old spruce are being
wind-thrown or having their tops broken out.
Large limbs broken from tops and wind-thrown
trees showing extensive butt rot are
common. Succession is unquestionably toward
replacement of the mixed forests by western
hemlock; many open stands are choked with
hemlock poles and saplings (fig. NC-2). Under
denser stands, the proportion of hemlock to
spruce seedlings is even higher.
The composition of the understory is quite
uniform throughout the natural area. Menziesia
ferruginea, Polystichum munitum, Oxalis oregana.,
Maianthemum bifolium var. kamtschaticum, Montia
sibirica, and Eurhynchium oreganum are the
constant and characteristic species (fig. NC-2).
Less common species include Vaccinium
parvifolium, Clintonia uniflora, Rubus ursinus,
Melica subulata, Trillium ovatum, Tiarella trifoliata,
T. unifoliata, Galium triflorum, and Luzula
parviflora. Gaultheria shallon is relatively
uncommon in the natural area, occurring mainly
on rotten logs or stumps (fig. NC-2) except along
the ocean cliffs where it is sometimes an
understory dominant. On the lower slopes, along
streams, and in seep areas, a dense tangle of
shrubs and herbs develops, including the
following as well as the aforementioned species:
Oplopanax horridum, Rubus spectabilis, R.
parviflorus, Blechnum spicant, Ribes bracteosum,
Dryopteris dilatata, Saimbucus melanocarpa,
Athyrium filix-femina, Disporum smithii, and Stachys
americana. Carex obnupta, Corydalis scouleri,
Lysichitum americanum, and Chrysosplenium
glechomaefolium typify swampy areas.
Upland forest openings are encountered which
are completely choked with shrubs such as Rubus
spectabillis, Menziesia, and Sambucus (fig. NC-2).
Tree regeneration under these dense shrub layers
is often sparse or absent.
The mammals which are known or probable
inhabitants of the natural area are listed in table
NC-l. A varied avifauna is associated with the
ocean cliffs along the northwest boundary of the
natural area, and northern sea lions (Eumetopias
jubata) frequent the adjacent ocean.
Streamsides and ocean cliffs are the only
noteworthy specialized habitats.
HISTORY OF DISTURBANCE
The dominance of 120-year-old spruce and
hemlock indicates the area has been subject to at
least occasional fires, the last major one
occurring about 1845. During recent years,
winter windstorms have been the most important
agent of natural disturbance. Most of the damage
has occurred along the southern boundary, but
severe east winds in 1971 did break many oldgrowth Sitka spruce at 2 to 5 m. (6 to 15 feet)
above ground line all through the natural area.
There is no evidence of human disturbance in the
natural area.
RESEARC H
Some observational research on the fauna and
plant communities is currently being conducted
on the natural area. At the time the natural area
was cruised (1934), a map was prepared showing
the location of all large Sitka spruce specimens.
Copies of this map are on file at the Pacific
Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.
The natural area and its environs do offer
some special research opportunities. The natural
area is adjacent to the Neskowin Crest Scenic
Area, an oceanside strip of ocean cliffs, forest,
and natural grassy openings which will be
maintained in a near-natural state primarily for
recreational purposes. The Nature Conservancy's
Cascade Head preserve is also nearby. There is,
therefore, the possibility of utilizing the natural
area as a part of ecological studies on this
oceanside complex. The flora and plant
communities of a small natural headland prairie
adjacent to the southwest edge of the natural area
(Hart Cape) have already been studied (Davidson
1967).
Neskowin Crest Research Natural Area is also
a part of the Cascade Head Experimental Forest,
much of which is similar in forest type and
environment. The possibility exists of using
other parts of the experimental forest for work
involving destructive sampling or manipulation
and using the natural area as a control site.
NC-3
MAPS AND AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPHS
Special maps applicable to the natural area
are: Topography-15' Hebo, Oregon quadrangle,
scale 1: 62,500, issued by the U.S. Geological
Survey in 1955; and geology -Geology of the
Coastal Area Between Cape Kiwanda and Cape
Foulweather, Oregon, scale 1:62,500 (Snavely and
Vokes 1949), Geologic Sketch of Northwestern
Oregon, scale 1: 500,000 (Snavely and Wagner
1964), and Geologic Map of Oregon West of the
121st Meridian., scale 1:500,000 (Peck 1961).
Either the District Ranger (Hebo Ranger District)
or Forest Supervisor (Siuslaw National Forest,
Corvallis, Oregon) can provide details on the
most recent aerial photo coverage and forest type
maps for the area.
Copies of a topographic map (scale 8 in. = 1
mile, 50-ft. contour interval) of Cascade Head
Experimental Forest, including Neskowin Crest
Research Natural Area, which was prepared by
Forest Service personnel in 1934, are on file at
the Pacific Northwest Forest and Range
Experiment Station, Portland, Oregon. Records
of a 1934 cruise of the area and a map showing
location of old-growth Sitka spruce are also on
file there.
LITERATURE CITED
Davidson, Eric Duncan
1967. Synecological features of a natural
headland prairie on the Oregon coast.
79 p., illus. (M.S. thesis, on file at
Oreg. State Univ., Corvallis.)
Franklin, Jerry F. and C. T. Dyrness
1969. Vegetation of Oregon and Washington.
USDA Forest Servo Res. Pap. PNW80, 216 p., illus. Pac. Northwest Forest
& Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oreg.
NC-4
Kuchler, A. W.
1964. Manual to accompany the map of
potential natural vegetation of the
conterminous United States. Am.
Geogr. Soc. Spec. Publ. 36, various
paging, illus.
Madison, Robert W.
1957. A guide to the Cascade Head Experimental Forest. USDA Forest Servo
Pac. Northwest Forest & Range Exp.
Stn., 14 p., illus. Portland, Oreg.
Peck, Dallas L.
1961. Geologic map of Oregon west of the
121st meridian. U.S. Geol. Surv. Misc.
Geol. Invest. Map 1-325.
Ruth, Robert H.
1954. Cascade Head climatological data 1936
to 1952. USDA Forest Servo Pac.
Northwest Forest & Range Exp. Stn.,
29 p. Portland, Oreg.
Snavely, Parke D., Jr., and H. E. Vokes
1949. Geology of the coastal area between
Cape Kiwanda and Cape Foulweather,
Oregon. U.S. Geol. Surv. Soil & Gas
Invest. Prelim. Map 97.
Snavely, P. D., and H. C. Wagner
1964. Geologic sketch of northwestern Oregon. U.S. Geol. Surv. Bull. 1181-M, 17
p., illus.
Society of American Foresters
1954. Forest cover types of North America
(exclusive of Mexico). 67 p., illus.
Washington, D.C.
U.S. Weather Bureau
1965. Climatic summary of the United States-supplement for 1951 through 1960,
Oregon. Climatography of the United
States 86-31,96 p., illus.
Figure NC-2.-Communities in the Neskowin Crest Research
Natural Area. Upper left: Small opening choked with Rubus
spectabilis,
Menziesia
ferruginea,
and
Sambucus
melanocarpa up to 3 m. in height. Upper right: Gaultheria
shallon growing on rotting stump. Lower left: Open stand of
western hemlock and Sitka spruce with abundant
regeneration of western hemlock. Lower right: 120-yearold Sitka spruce growing on rotting log with typical
Polystichum munitum-Oxalis oregana understory.