Forest and meadow continue their ancient competition in this area that while not pristine provides clues to what vegetation in the Willamette river valley was like before the massive changes brought by European conquest. Grasses in fields rely on disturbance.
Grasses have a competitive advantage over trees in areas that experience frequent disturbance.
Here this disturbance might be the periodic flooding of the Willamette river. For thousands of years disturbance in the Willamette valley came from human caused fire. Now, it is a tractor that maintains many remaining Willamette valley grasslands, including the field on the right. Oregon white oak , Quercus garryana , are prevalent in the grassy areas around the river. A few of these oaks are older than 200 years and predate European settlement.