Meadows are not only beautiful to observe and enjoy, but they are a fundamental part of a forested ecosystem. David Bugni, an Oregon State University Extension Service Master Woodland Manager volunteer, and his wife Mary Ann created one by converting an abandoned livestock pasture and found it to be an extremely rewarding and worthwhile experience. From bees and butterflies to hummingbirds and some bats, as the number of species and the populations of native pollinators dwindle, creating a native meadow can be a fulfilling and entertaining part of every small forestland owner’s, rancher’s, or farmer’s property.
Creating a native meadow can be fulfilling and entertaining.
How does one go about such a process? There are many recommended approaches, and in their case, they blended several methods to suit their specific situation. There is no cookie-cutter approach to creating a meadow, considering the myriad appropriate plant species and site conditions that may exist or could exist on one’s property. That old adage certainly holds true here — you learn by doing. Regardless of the approach implemented, there are four basic items that always need to be addressed:
- Plant selection
- Site preparation
- Planting methods
- Short-term maintenance, until "free to grow" status is reached, followed by long-term maintenance.
Plant selection
Plant selection is extremely critical, particularly if you want to establish native plants that may have been in your area prior to European-American settlement. Couple that goal with any other factors, including consideration of our changing climate, and it gets even harder. Research is paramount in selecting plants. Sources range from reputable online resources — examples include Oregon State University and the Xerces Society — and talking with restoration professionals to visiting close wilderness areas. One must then verify that these plants are available from a trustworthy native plant nursery.
Propagating from seed, cuttings or transplants gathered on your property may also be possible. Strive to choose a wide diversity of plants that suit your soil, shade, moisture, elevation and climate conditions. Keep in mind, though, that some native plants are ambitious and can take over a site if the opportunity is presented. For these species, like lupine and yarrow, it is recommended to only use a minimal amount of seed.
A diverse plant species selection should also possess varying bloom times (from early spring to fall) to give pollinators many weeks of pollinating activity opportunity. In addition to providing plants for pollinators, consider planting nutritious, native grasses for deer and elk that may frequent the area. In total, the Bugnis planted nine species of grasses, 20 wildflower species, 10 shrub species, and three tree species.
Site preparation
Site preparation can vary from a relatively straightforward, single-season approach to a multi-year effort to remove a long-established seed bank of plants you do not want to re-sprout, plus removing any garbage and debris from the site.
The Bugnis began with track hoe and tractor work, followed by localized rototilling. Selection of the proper herbicides, if one decides to use them, is very important. In their case, site preparation was a two-year effort of removal of unused farm equipment and trash, in parallel with multiple herbicide applications, followed by diligent and frequent hand removal of invasive plants.
Proper herbicide usage requires a thorough understanding of application precautions, ranging from minimum distance to water courses, which plants are affected by the herbicide and which are not, adjuvant needs — spray solution additives, which are any product added to an herbicide solution to improve the performance of the spray mixture— among other things. During the site preparation phase, the Bugnis sparingly used four different herbicides.
Soil samples were taken from several areas of the meadow, and subsequent chemical analyses were carried out, to determine if any nutrients were lacking that would be crucial for the new plants to survive. All macro and micronutrients for the species planted were found to be within acceptable levels and thus no chemical soil amendments were required.
Planting methods
Planting methods are site-specific. Seeds of most wildflowers native to Western Oregon are best planted from late September through early November — it's best to wait until late fall to limit rodent and bird predation. A combination of custom seed mixes as well as seed packets of single seed species were employed, depending upon the desired outcome.
For an acre meadow, the Bugnis used a simple and traditional planting method: spreading seeds by hand. For larger size meadows, one may want to augment or replace any hand-planting efforts with the appropriate mechanical equipment — drop seed spreaders and native seed drillers are two examples. Most native wildflower seeds cannot tolerate being deeply buried and often rest at or just underneath the soil.
The Bugnis used a flexible steel-tined rake to disturb the soil over the spread seeds to barely cover them. If the site conditions permit, the use of a turf grass roller can be used after seeds have been spread and these rollers are often available for rent. In addition to seeds, both large and small camas bulbs were planted in November. The small camas were placed at a depth of 3–4 inches, in groups of five, and each bulb spaced about 4–6 inches apart within the group. The large camas bulbs were placed about 6–8 inches deep, in groups of three and each bulb spaced about 12 inches apart.
Shrubs and tree seedlings were mostly bare root — several species came in pots — which are easy to handle, and a tree planting bag can hold anywhere from 20–50 plants, depending upon species and age. Tree seedlings and shrubs were planted in late fall (November) or mid-winter (late January through mid-February), depending upon availability from the nurseries, to provide a greater certainty of success in proper root establishment. Those shrubs and tree seedlings that were transplanted from within the Bugni property were done so in November.
Short-term maintenance
Following initial plant establishment, first-year maintenance was intensive. The Bugnis performed lots of hand pulling since the use of herbicides would have injured the newly growing plants. In the upcoming years, they envision less demanding maintenance and more enjoyment watching the fruits of their efforts.
To minimize browsing by deer, elk and some rodent species, plants are either protected by Vexar tubes or Plantskyyd, a Swedish-made, organic compound that gives off an odor that animals associate with predator activity, repelling them before they nibble on plants, and is periodically applied to the leaves of some species. In areas where grasses were seeded, each shrub is marked with a bamboo stake to identify their location to avoid being brush cut. A narrow, circular annulus immediately surrounding a shrub is cut to minimize competition from the grasses.
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) values the benefits of meadows in the forest as sources of food for pollinators and other wildlife. ODF calls these types of meadows wildlife food plots, which are small forestland areas that are planted with vegetation capable of substantially contributing to wildlife nutrition instead of being used for growing and harvesting forest tree species.
A landowner must have more than 10 acres but less than 5,000 acres, the area to be used for a food plot must currently be in forest use, and the food plot would otherwise be subject to reforestation rules. ODF has a list of other requirements including the maximum size of the plots, you can reach out to your local ODF office or stewardship forester to learn more.
There are often sources of funding out there to help you create a meadow, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, your local Soil & Water Conservation District, and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, among others.
Currently, the Bugni meadow is frequented by many species of insect pollinators and hummingbirds, as well as deer and elk, which take advantage of the nutritious grasses. They look forward to the years ahead as the meadow gets further established and more wildlife decide this is one of their favorite areas to frequent.
Support and get to know Oregon’s pollinators
Publications
Videos and webinars
- Bees in the Woods
- Tree School Online – See the Forest for the Bees
Websites
- Creating Native Bee Habitat in the Landscape
- Oregon Bee Project
- Oregon Flora Project
- Xerces Society – Pollinator Resources
Local natural resources organizations
