Publication Requests

Many of our publications are available online in PDF format. Click on the title of the report to open the PDF. If you wish to inquire about paper or CD copies of our publications, please contact the webmaster. Hard copies are subject to availability and there may be a nominal fee for materials and/or shipping.

PDF format files are compatible with Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader and several other programs. Your Web browser may also include a PDF viewer. For descriptions and links to PDF-compatible software see the Wikipedia List of PDF Software.

If you are looking for spatial data, try our affiliated Pacific NW Landscape Assessment and Mapping site or the Oregon Geospatial Data Clearinghouse.

 Serial Publications

Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species of Oregon

Snowy Plover Reports

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2012. 2012, 66 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, J. Daniel Farrar, Adam A. Kotaich, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available online: (PDF 6.8 MB).

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2011. 2011, 65 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, J. Daniel Farrar, Adam A. Kotaich, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available online: (PDF 4.7 MB).

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2010. 2010, 65 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, J. Daniel Farrar, Adam A. Kotaich, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available online: (PDF 3.3 MB).

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2009. 2009, 61 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, J. Daniel Farrar, Hendrik G. Herlyn, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available online: (PDF 2.5 MB).

Report on Wintering Western Snowy Plovers at Coos Bay North Spit and Impacts to Plovers from The North Jetty Repair Project, Winter 2009 2009, 8 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available online: (PDF 270 KB).

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2008. 2008, 63 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, David C. Bailey, Travis Lewis, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available online: (PDF 6 MB).

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2007. 2007, 64 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, Raya Pruner, Marvin Friel, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available Online: (pdf 31 mb).

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2006. 2006, 82 pg. David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, Susan Weston, Krista Eucken, and Eleanor P. Gaines. ORBIC. Available Online: (pdf 773 kb).

Other Publications and Datasets

2010 Oregon Natural Areas Plan. 2010. Oregon Natural Heritage Advisory Council. Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, Institute for Natural Resources - Portland, Portland State University, Portland, OR. 198 pages. (pdf 6.6 MB). Printed copies can be ordered from Odin Ink at the PSU Bookstore.

Oregon Ecological Systems Database. 2009. Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center & NatureServe. The Oregon Ecological Systems database, compiled by ORBIC and NatureServe, provides details about the classification and description of 112 upland and 30 wetland ecological systems reported from the state. Data fields include global and state names, mapping codes, global range, ecoregions and habitats in which they occur, elevations, brief and extended descriptions, dominant plant species, community structure and water regime, and details about their classification. Much of the work was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey and LandFire, a cooperative program between the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and The Nature Conservancy. To view the data, unzip the file, open the database in MS Access or other compatible program, navigate to Forms, and view the form Oregon Systems. A description of the fields used is found in the table Oregon Systems Metadata. (ZIP file of MDB, 313 KB).

Classification of Oak Vegetation in the Willamette Valley. 2008, 71 pg. A. Buechling, E. Alverson, J. Kertis, and G. Fitzpatrick. ORBIC. A plant community classification was developed describing the comprehensive variation of oak vegetation currently occupying the Willamette Valley Ecoregion of western Oregon. 350 plots were sampled over two years and analysed using two-way species indicator analysis (TWINSPAN) and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). Nine vegetation classes were described from ordinations including seven forest / woodland types and two savannas. (PDF 1.3 MB).

Classification of Native Vegetation of Oregon. 2004, 52 pg. J.S. Kagan, J.A. Christy, M.P. Murray, and J.A. Titus. ORBIC. Contains names, ranks and references for Oregon's terrestrial and wetland plant communities. Available online (pdf 271 kb).

Field Guide to Riparian Plant Communities in Northwestern Oregon. 2005, C. McCain and J.A. Christy. 357 pp. + CD. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-01-05. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, Oregon. This guide identifies 186 riparian and wetland plant communities using keys based on indicator plant species and environmental factors. It is a condensed version of two larger, more detailed guides completed by McCain and Christy in 2004, both of which are included in the accompanying CD. The field guide is printed in a smaller, more portable format on water-resistant paper and comes in a plastic ring binder. Available online or in hardcopy from ORBIC (pdf 1.7 mb).

Native Wetland Plant Associations of Northwestern Oregon . 2004, 250 pg. J.A. Christy. Provides keys, descriptions, and stand tables for 122 native freshwater plant associations in northwestern Oregon, based on analysis of plot data. Area includes the north half of both the Coast Range and Western Cascade ecoregions, and all of the Willamette Valley. Vegetation is classified according to the National Vegetation Classification System, and plant associations are assigned to ecological systems. Available online (pdf 1.1 mb).

Oregon Gap Analysis Project Final Report: A geographic approach to planning for biological diversity. 1999. J.S. Kagan, J.C. Hak, B. Csuti, C.W. Kiilsgaard, and E.P. Gaines. ORBIC. 72 pp + appendices. Includes Land Cover Type Descriptions and Manual by C.W. Kiilsgaard for the 1998 Land Coverage. CD-ROM with data and PDF files are available from ORBIC. The major gap datasets (not species distributions) are posted at the Oregon State GIS Clearinghouse (http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/EISPD/GEO/alphalist.shtml).

Plant Associations of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon. 1998. Christy, J.A., J.S. Kagan and A.M. Wiedemann. 183 pp. Technical Paper R6-NR-ECOL-TP-09-98. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, Oregon. This guide describes 52 plant associations known or suspected to occur in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. It includes general descriptions of the physical and biological setting of the dunes, as well as delineation of successional pathways, descriptions of stand composition and structure, history, management issues, and previous studies. Appendices summarize vegetation data and list vascular plants known from the area. Available online only (pdf 24.8 mb).

Riparian and Wetland Vegetation of Central and Eastern Oregon. 2004, 483 pp. E.A. Crowe, B.L. Kovalchik, and M. Kerr. Includes photographs and valley cross-section illustrations in black and white. This book is also available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file online (pdf 22 mb). The PDF file has color images and maps. For a copy of the book or stand tables (an additional 300 pages), contact us.

Status of whitebark pine in Crater Lake National Park. 2000, 13 pg. M.P. Murray and M. Rasmussen. ORBIC and U.S. Department of the Interior. Available Online: (pdf 362 kb).

Umatilla and Willow Creek Basin Assessment for Shrub Steppe, Grasslands, and Riparian Wildlife Habitats. 2000. Final Report to EPA. 25 pp. To view or download the large file (48 mb) with Appendix A maps click here.

 Archived Publications

Native wetland plant communities and associated sensitive, threatened or endangered plant and animal species in Oregon. 1997, 73 pp. J.A. Christy and J.H. Titus. ORBIC. Palustrine systems account for 85% of the wetland community diversity in the state, with lacustrine, riverine, and estuarine each representing 5%. Of palustrine systems, emergent classes account for 50% of the diversity of communities, followed by scrub-shrub (25%), forested (17%), aquatic bed (6%) and moss-lichen (0.4%). Rare plants and animals occurring in wetlands include 219 taxa in 11 life forms, listed in decreasing percentage of species: gastropods (30%), vascular plants (29%), fish (12%), insects (11%), birds (6.4%), bryophytes (6%), amphibians (2%), bivalves (2%), reptiles (0.9%), mammals (0.5%), amphipods (0.5%), flatworms (0.5%). The East Cascades ecoregion has the highest number of rare taxa, followed by the West Cascades and Basin and Range. High priority sites for ecoregions east of the Cascades center around lacustrine and palustrine elements. (pdf 392 kb).

2003 Oregon Natural Heritage Plan. 2004, 174 pg. Natural Heritage Advisory Council to the State Land Board. The Oregon Natural Heritage Plan was adopted by the Oregon State Land Board on February 10, 2004. The plan is an update to the 1998 plan and includes significant revisions. Available online (pdf 1.5 mb).

1998 Oregon Natural Heritage Plan. 1998, 142 pg. Natural Heritage Advisory Council to the State Land Board. Available online: (pdf 568 kb).

Classification and Catalog of Native Wetland Plant Communities in Oregon. 1993, 77 pg. J.A. Christy. ORBIC. A catalog, classification, and guide to the literature of 189 wetland plant communities in Oregon. A key provides access to, and is followed by, a classification modeled after Cowardin et al. (1979). This is followed by a catalog listing each plant community alphabetically, showing the physiographic province and landform in which each occurs, its Heritage global and state rank, and a listing of community descriptions here considered synonymous. Available online: (pdf 142 kb).

Classification of Native Vegetation of Oregon. 2001, 63 pg. J.S. Kagan, J.A. Christy, M.P. Murray, and J.A. Titus. ORBIC. Contains names, ranks and references for Oregon's terrestrial and wetland plant communities. Available online: (pdf 271 kb).

Lower Columbia River Natural Area Inventory. 1993, 89 pp. J.A. Christy and J.A. Putera. Identifies remaining "presettlement" habitats along the floodplain of the lower Columbia River in Oregon and Washington, between Bonneville Dam and the mouth of the river, including lower portions of Chinook River, Elochoman River, Grays River, Lewis River, Youngs River and the Willamette River. Lists known sites ranked by their rare elements, for use in setting priorities for protection. Reviews previous work, regional floodplain characteristics, historical conditions, impacts of Euroamerican settlement on floodplain habitats, current conditions, and future needs. Available online: (pdf 151 kb).

Native Wetland, Riparian, and Upland Plant Communities and Their Biota in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. 1996, 58 pp. J.H. Titus, J.A. Christy, D. VanderSchaaf, J.S. Kagan, E.R. Alverson. Reports on evaluation of 172 wetland and riparian sites throughout the Willamette Valley, 21 of which were high-quality remnants. Thirty-two species of rare plants and animals are directly dependent on wetland and riparian communities, and 22 are dependent on upland upland communities. Historical losses of wetland and riparian habitat total about 456,119 hectares (1,127,071 ac), with 12 communities impacted in particular. Historical losses of upland habitats total about 732,432 hectares (1,809,841 ac), with 7 natural communities impacted in particular. Available online: (pdf 143 kb).