Nehalem River Ranch is a 100-acre diversified ranch along the Nehalem River in northwestern Oregon, owned and managed by Jared Gardner. Jared has implemented several agroforestry practices on his land, including silvopasture, windbreaks, and riparian forest buffers. Riparian forest buffers are managed areas of trees and shrubs located between agricultural production and waterways for the purpose of water quality protection, streambank stabilization, wildlife habitat, and more. “Being stewards of 100 acres along a river is really magical, but it also comes with a responsibility,” says Jared. “We are excited to do our part to keep the river as clean as possible.”

Focusing on diversity, Jared raises grass-fed and finished Angus-Hereford cross beef, Gloucestershire Old Spot cross pigs, and bees for honey. He also partners with tenant farmers who lease shared pastureland and graze poultry in rotation behind his cattle and pigs. Along the river’s edge, the ranch’s riparian forest buffer serves as a barrier between the pastureland and the Nehalem River. The buffer filters runoff, reduces nutrient pollution, and stabilizes the riverbank to prevent erosion. It also supports Jared’s honey operation by providing a year-round supply of flowers for his honeybees. 

Jared’s goals for his land are to produce healthy, local meat and honey, and to foster a biodiverse landscape that supports both his farm and the surrounding Nehalem River watershed. “This has been a really important ecological site, culturally and historically,” says Jared. “It’s our responsibility to think about the river, the riparian zone, and how we steward animals and plants in relation to the riparian ecosystem.”  

How it started

When Jared purchased Nehalem River Ranch in 2015, the riverbank on his property had already experienced significant ecological degradation. Much of the native woody perennial vegetation had been removed to convert the land into pasture for cattle. Over time, much of the riverbank was overtaken by Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)—a bamboo-like invasive forb. The roots of Japanese knotweed are connected to weak rhizomes that easily break apart. Without the stronger roots of woody perennials to help stabilize the soil and hold it in place, streambank erosion became a significant issue. Motivated to address the erosion and invasive species issues, Jared began a large-scale restoration effort. In partnership with several local organizations, he removed the knotweed through mowing and targeted, intensive grazing, and in its place planted over 5,000 native trees and shrubs to rebuild the river’s natural riparian buffer and stabilize the soil. 

Jared also aimed his restoration efforts at improving habitat for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. The woody perennials in the riparian forest buffer provide shelter and food to many terrestrial animals, such as elk, deer, and birds. The riparian forest buffer also filters runoff and reduces the amount of nutrients that end up in the river. Excessive nutrients in the water can trigger eutrophication, an accumulation of nutrients that leads to increased growth of algae, which can deplete oxygen levels and harm aquatic life. By reducing nutrient overload from livestock waste, the buffer protects aquatic organisms.

Jared was also interested in planting trees along the river to cast shade and lower water temperatures, further improving conditions for aquatic organisms. He recognizes that improving habitat for wildlife does more than just benefit the environment; it also benefits the ranch itself. “The more trees we plant, the more birds of prey we have. The more birds of prey we have, the less gopher holes and tripping hazards for our cows,” he explains. “So, it’s little, simple things like that that are a win-win for both the ecology and our production.”   

Designing a riparian forest buffer 

The riparian forest buffer at Nehalem River Ranch spans the entire length of the river border, over 7,000 linear feet. Six of Nehalem River Ranch’s 100 acres are planted to riparian forest buffers. The trees and shrubs were planted in rows, and the planting varied from two to six rows wide, depending on the topography of the land. Within rows, trees were planted close together (6 to 10 feet apart) to account for expected losses due to elk browsing and other pressures. “We overplanted instead of using protective cages,” says Jared. “We know that we will need to thin some trees down the line, but when we did the math, this method was more cost effective than having to pay for caging.” 

Species selection was an important part of the design process. In the rows closest to the river, Jared chose native plants with deep roots that could tolerate seasonally saturated soils, such as:

• Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)
• Red currant (Ribes triste)
• Willow (Salix spp.)

In the rows farther from the river, he chose taller species that not only help filter nutrient load and slow runoff, but that also act as windbreaks. These species include the following:

• Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)
• Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
• Western redcedar (Thuja plicata)
• Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum)

As a beekeeper, Jared was intentional about selecting tree and shrub species to support his honeybees and other pollinators. He selected native species that flower at different times of the year to ensure a continuous source of nectar and pollen. About 3,000 of the trees and shrubs planted were chosen specifically for their pollinator value. These include the following species:

• Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)
• Twinberry honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata)
• Pacific ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus)
• Redflower currant (Ribes sanguineum)
• Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)
• Oregon crab apple (Malus fusca)
• Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)

“These trees are doing all sorts of things for the environment, but they also give us another product that we can sell—honey,” explains Jared. 

 Partnerships and financing the creation of a riparian forest buffer

Nehalem River Ranch’s riparian forest buffer was established over the course of several years, through multi-agency partnerships, nonprofit collaborations, and community effort. The project was partially funded through a grant provided by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board by way of the Nehalem Bay Watershed Council. The Nehalem Bay Watershed Council, along with Resilience Permaculture, also provided technical assistance to help Jared develop a design and management plan. The Natural Resources Conservation Service funded the purchase and establishment of the pollinator support species through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The Tillamook Estuaries Partnership provided many of the trees and much of the labor, contracting with a crew to plant and maintain the trees during the initial few years of establishment. In total, the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership provided and planted roughly two-thirds of the trees and shrubs. Jared, together with friends and volunteers from the local community, planted the remaining plants. 

Photo Credit

Mitchel Davidovitz

Newly planted trees and shrubs provide shade, outcompeting the invasive Japanese knotweed.

Prior to planting trees, the first step in the establishment process was to remove Japanese knotweed. Because the ranch uses organic practices, it was important to Jared to refrain from using herbicides during this process. “We don’t want any toxins to run off into the water, and we don’t want our cows to graze anything that has chemicals on it,” Jared explains. “It’s really important to us as a family, and also for our customers.” Instead, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership provided contract labor to manually mow down knotweed in steeper areas of the riparian forest buffer, while Jared used high-intensity grazing with goats, cattle, and chickens. The goats ate much of the Japanese knotweed, the cattle ate other weeds, and the chickens helped lightly till the soil, preparing it for planting.

Once invasive plants were under control, native tree and shrub saplings were planted. To protect newly planted trees, Jared installed fencing to exclude livestock. This also prevents cattle from entering the river and causing streambank erosion. As the woody perennials grow, Jared has noticed that they are slowly outcompeting the Japanese knotweed and reclaiming the space. Although this is an ongoing process that still requires intensive and regular weed management, Jared is hopeful that one day the area will be dominated by native perennials in the place of invasives.

Livestock grazing and vegetation management

Nehalem River Ranch grazes multiple species of animals in successional rotation, one after another. While the cattle and hogs are managed by Jared, the poultry are managed by tenant farmers. “It’s a complementary system,” explains Jared. “Because there are multiple managers, no one person needs to learn all the skillsets needed to manage a diversified operation.” Because livestock management is shared, creating a shared grazing plan was important to prevent overgrazing and to maximize the benefits of animals on the land. This shared grazing plan is centered around rotational grazing principles in which animals are rotated into different paddocks every few days. Twenty percent of the pasture is planted to silvopasture, with native trees interspersed across the grassland, providing shade and shelter for the animals as they graze.

In the riparian forest buffer, vegetation management is an ongoing task, particularly for Japanese knotweed. For the first few years, much of the weed control was done by the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, but Jared also uses animals to help with weed control. The 800 chickens that belong to the ranch’s tenant farmers have access to fenced paddocks within the riparian forest buffer for two days at a time before being moved to the next grazing section. The chickens help clear surrounding weeds by scratching, while also fertilizing the trees. Overall, Jared estimates that the chickens supply the equivalent of $10,000 in fertilizer throughout the ranch, helping him save money on inputs. 

Jared considers wildlife when making management decisions. While mowing and weed control are critical tasks to prevent competition, some birds and other wildlife species depend on grassland habitat. “So, we mow in cycles,” he explains. “We’ll mow this part of the land one month, and another part of the land another month, so that there’s always some grassland habitat available.” Replanting trees and shrubs is another major management task, but one that was expected. “We always knew we were going to lose some trees, so we overplanted, and planned and budgeted to replant,” says Jared.  

Climate risks and adaptation strategies 

The Nehalem region receives a high amount of annual rainfall, with an average of 121 inches. However, summers in Nehalem are typically a drier time of year, with an average of 6.5 inches of rain between June and August. In the past 10 years, Jared notes that Nehalem River Ranch has experienced several summer seasons that have had periods of no rainfall lasting longer than 80 days. Oregon’s temperatures have also increased by 2.2 °F per century since 1895. Temperatures are projected to increase by 4.7 °F to 10.0 °F by 2080. High temperatures, combined with periods of little to no rainfall, can put stress on newly planted trees. To improve survival without installing irrigation, Jared applies woodchip mulch, which helps conserve moisture as well as prevent weeds.

Heavy rains in winter are another concern. From November through January, Nehalem receives an average of 57.5 inches of rain. Intense precipitation events can lead to significant streambank erosion and flooding. Nehalem River Ranch's riparian forest buffer has helped significantly reduce streambank erosion, conserving soil and nutrients. Climate models project that the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events are likely to increase in Oregon in the coming years. This concern has further incentivized Jared’s decision to plant a riparian forest buffer. “You can either lose your production land to planting a riparian forest buffer, or you can lose it to erosion from the river,” he explains. “I’d rather have a riparian forest buffer because of all the additional benefits it provides to our ranch and the surrounding ecosystem.” 

Benefits of agroforestry

Nehalem River Ranch’s riparian forest buffer is multifunctional, preventing erosion, filtering runoff, preventing nutrient overload, providing shade to aquatic wildlife, and supporting terrestrial wildlife. At the same time, the buffer promotes income generation by preventing land loss, and by providing a source of food to Jared’s bees for his honey business. 

To ensure long-term protection, Jared is working with the Oregon Agricultural Trust to establish a conservation easement on the property. “By having a conservation easement, we have a longer term framework to ensure that these trees do live to 100 years and beyond,” says Jared. “There are trees on this property that I benefit from that were planted intentionally by someone a century ago. Now it’s my responsibility to pay it forward for the next 100 years.”