Wet Ground: What Should You Plant?
Chal Landgren, Oregon State University Extension Agent,
Washington and Columbia Counties

Many Christmas tree growers and woodland owners are faced with the dilemma of periodically flooded ground. Dr. Dave DeYoe, OSU Extension Reforestation Specialist, offered some advice gathered from research projects. He found:

  • Lodgepole (shore) pine did the best of six species tried.
  • Red alder and western red cedar also did well, except that alder did not survive spring flooding very well and red cedar lost seedling size when any flooding was experiened.
  • Douglas-fir did not tolerate flooding for greater than 2 to 3 weeks, no matter what time of year.
  • Western hemlock could take some inundation of the roots as long as the top couple inches of soil were free of standing water.
Results % Survival
Species Winter FloodingSpring Flooding
Douglas-fir 500
Western hemlock 100 34
Red alder100 50
Sitka spruce100 84
Western red cedar 100 100
Lodgepole pine 100 100

Locally, cottonwood and ash will tolerate some flooding

This article by Chal Landgren was published in the December, 1984 issue of Oregon Woodlands. Old but reliable information.





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