Hoover Gulch Research Natural Area

Siskiyou National Forest , USFS

Klamath Mountains Ecoregion

Cell(s):

• Douglas fir/canyon live oak woodland with poison oak and dwarf Oregon grape if possible
• Tanoak - Douglas fir dry site forest with canyon live oak, dwarf Oregon grape and poison oak if possible

Access by road and trail

The 490 ha Hoover Gulch RNA, located 6 miles west of Selma in Josephine County, Oregon, occupies the Alder Gulch drainage, the lower and eastern portion of the Hoover Gulch drainage, and the interfluve between them. Elevations range from 335 m. to 1,200 m., and slopes in the natural area range from 20 to 100 percent, with most slopes between 50 and 85 percent. There are many rock outcrops, and channels of intermittent and permanent streams dissect the slopes. The tract lies within the Douglas Fir and Tan Oak zones, and consists of mixed evergreen forests that vary from almost pure hardwood on the steep slopes to nearly pure closed canopy stands of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) on benches or ridge tops. Tree species in the tract include canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis), tanoak (Lithocarpus), madrone (Arbutus), Douglas fir, and sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana). In addition, small outcrops of ultrabasic parent materials support open forests of Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) and incense-cedar (Calocedrus kurz). Hoover Gulch RNA offers ample opportunity for study of fire history and successional patterns, due to a complex fire history. The area is known to be inhabited by the northern spotted owl, a Federally threatened species.