Community Forest Spotlight: East Moraine, Wallowa Lake

Two young boys sit together on a rocky overlook covered in colorful wildflowers, taking in the sweeping view of the East Moraine landscape and Wallowa Lake below. Photo credit, Leon Werdiner.

Sustainable Northwest coordinates the Northwest Community Forest Coalition – a network of about 50 community forests in Oregon and Washington. The Pacific Northwest has the largest concentration of community forests in the nation. East Moraine Community Forest in Wallowa County, Oregon, is one of them. 

Nestled along Wallowa Lake, the nearly 1900-acre East Moraine Community Forest has been publicly owned since 2020 after its acquisition by Wallowa County. It is managed for five conservation values:

• Wildlife and Habitat

• Cultural Resources

• Forestry

• Range Management and Grazing

• Recreation 

The community forest is managed by Wallowa County through the East Moraine Community Forest Management Committee, whose membership includes Wallowa County, Wallowa Resources, Wallowa Land Trust, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the Nez Perce Tribe, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Oregon State University Extension.

Sustainable forestry and ranching in action

With the priority of maintaining the scenic landscape of the Wallowa Lake moraines, the East Moraine Community Forest provides opportunities for sustainable timber harvest and cattle grazing. These activities are managed with the goal of improving rangeland and forest health while providing local economic opportunities.

Nez Perce cultural sites preserved

This land is the ancestral land of the Nez Perce people, or Nimi'ipuu, making public access to the forest a cultural resource. Public access to the forest opens the door for the Nez Perce to practice traditional hunting and gathering. The property also protects and preserves Nez Perce cultural sites.

The Nez Perce were the first stewards of this land. Going with the seasons, the Nez Perce manage various resources in the region through traditional practices like planned and consistent harvest, raising livestock, and prescribed fire. The Tribe contributed to the development of the 2022 multi-use management plan for the East Moraine Community Forest, continuing their long-standing tradition of stewarding the land. 

Supporting the local economy, while maintaining ways of life 

The ongoing management of the property as a working forest and rangeland supports Wallowa County’s local economy, while also maintaining its rural way of life. By keeping forest and rangeland in production, the community forest supports the area’s forestry economy, local ranchers, and the associated businesses that support them. Allowing land to stay in production while managing it sustainably has a positive ripple effect for local economies. 

Endangered species protection

The East Moraine Community Forest is home to Spalding's Catchfly, a bird listed as threatened on the federal Endangered Species List, and the Columbia spotted frog, recognized as an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Blue Mountains. It also provides critical winter habitat for threatened mule deer, and supports populations of elk, fox, cougars, bears, wolves, coyotes, Pacific tree frogs, and more than 30 species of birds in the summertime. The property is managed to restore forest and grassland habitat, ensuring wildlife species can continue to breed and forage. 

Access to recreation

The forest is open to the public for quiet recreation and provides a “classroom” for learners of all ages.

Visitors can explore using any type of non-motorized recreation including hiking, biking, and hunting. This gives visitors a chance to see the classic landscape of Wallowa Lake and its upper valley. The property also includes a small trail system, with views of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. This alpine area is often likened to the Swiss Alps.

Oregon State University’s Rangeland Research laboratory

This property is an educational space for Eastern Oregonians from children to adults. Since 2023, Oregon State University’s Rangeland Research lab has used the property as a field laboratory. Here, they test emerging range management technology, like virtual fencing.

Want to visit the East Moraine Community Forest? Visitors are welcome, with the property sitting above the town of Joseph, Oregon. Click here for more information.

You can support community forests by making a donation to Sustainable Northwest!