Cascade Forest Conservancy staff, volunteers, and Forest Service botanists recently conducted native plant surveys in wildfire-impacted forests beneath the slopes of Mount Adams. 

There we observed signs of climate change impacts affecting our forests, but documented examples of how CFC and our community can make a positive impact.  

On this occasion, we climbed the ridge to visit a site planted and seeded in April of this year during an unusually timed spring planting trip that was only possible due to low winter snow pack.

Among charred trees and fallen logs, we found that many individual native flowers and shrubs we seeded and planted in the past were surviving and growing. We also saw other species of native plants recovering on their own, plentiful blooms, and many busy pollinators.

Climate change in our region is increasing the frequency and severity of droughts and wildfires, and current conditions in the Pacific Northwest could make the 2026 wildfire season one of the worst in years.

But as we recently observed on McDonald Ridge, community and partnership-driven restoration efforts are also having an impact.