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Pipe Fork Research Natural Area
Medford District
, BLM
Klamath Mountains Ecoregion
Cell(s):
- Port Orford cedar-white fir/Oregon grape and Port Orford cedar-tanoak/salal communities
The Pipe Fork RNA protects 214 ha of steep, highly erodible terrain with healthy Port Orford cedar (Cupressus lawsoniana) in Josephine County, Oregon, about 16 km from the community of
Applegate. The elevation ranges from 1,000 to 1,260 m in the upper reaches of the Pipe Fork Creek watershed, which drains northeast into Williams Creek. The channel contains coarse woody debris and
other evidence of previous floods. Pipe Fork RNA harbors two of the driest Port Orford cedar plant associations and is at the eastern edge of the range of this species in the Klamath Mountains. In the
riparian zone, Port Orford cedar grows with salal (Gaultheria shallon), and in the upland community its understory is dwarf Oregon grape (Berberis nervosa) and twinflower (Linnaea
borealis). The RNA also protects fragile granitic soils, which are highly erosive and susceptible to landslides on steep slopes. It is the only watershed in the area that has almost no roads. The
climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters with transient snow. Annual precipitation averages 127 cm. Timber has been harvested at the perimeter of the RNA, and a skid trail
on the ridgetop is becoming overgrown. Spring-board cuts on stumps of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Port Orford cedar in the RNA are evidence of early logging. Fire scars on overstory
trees of Douglas fir and Port Orford cedar record previous wildfires.
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Access by gravel road
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