North Fork Nehalem River – State Wildlife Action Plan

The North Fork Nehalem River in Oregon's Coast Range. Photo Credit: Herman Biederbeck, ODFW

Geographic boundaries of the COAs were updated for the 2026 State Wildlife Action Plan and the associated COA profiles are intended to provide additional information. Content of each COA profile is being refined and will be updated to reflect current conditions when feasible. Please help us by submitting information on Local Conservation Actions, Plans, or Potential Partners to: OCS.revision@odfw.oregon.gov.

The North Fork Nehalem River COA (49 mi²) extends from Aldervale up through the lower Nehalem River Watershed toward the headwaters in the Coast Range. This COA is adjacent to the Nehalem River Estuary and Nehalem and Salmonberry River Headwaters COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Restore ambient streamflow, fish passage, riparian vegetation, floodplain connectivity, and in-stream structure.
Maintain and restore existing habitat and ecological function, ensuring sufficient habitat complexity for wildlife.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

This area is identified in the Oregon Plan as important for native salmonids.
This COA is comprised primarily of State Forest land, with some private timber along the peripheries.

Protected Areas

Clatsop State Forest
Tillamook State Forest

Previous COA Association

Size Change from 2016 boundaries: +29.0 mi² (145% increase)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest openings
Freshwater wetlands
Springs, Seeps and headwaters

Ecoregions

Coast Range

Oregon's Coast Range, known for its dramatic scenery, is extremely diverse, with habitats ranging from open sandy dunes to lush forests and from tidepools to headwater streams. It follows the coastline and extends east through coastal forest to the border of the Willamette Valley and Klamath Mountains ecoregions

Key Habitats

Grasslands

Grasslands include a variety of upland grass-dominated habitats, such as upland prairies, coastal bluffs, and montane grasslands.

Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests

Late successional mixed conifer forests provide a multi-layered tree canopy, including large-diameter trees, shade-tolerant tree species in the understory, and a high volume of dead wood, such as snags and logs.

Natural Lakes

Natural lakes are relatively large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land that were formed through geological processes, such as glacial scouring, tectonic movements, volcanic activity and river meander cutoffs. In Oregon, natural lakes are defined as standing water bodies larger than 20 acres, including some seasonal lakes. Depth is not a reference for characterization of …

Example of Oak Woodlands, which is a Strategy Habitat within the State Wildlife Action Plan

Oak Habitats

There are several oak habitat types in Oregon, where oaks comprise most of the canopy. These can include oak woodlands, oak forest, oak chaparral, and riparian oak. Oak savanna is covered in the Grasslands Key Habitat. Oaks may also co-dominate a canopy in oak/fir, oak pine, and oak hardwood habitats.

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats include all naturally occurring flowing freshwater streams and rivers throughout Oregon as well as the adjacent riparian habitat.

Ducks on a wetland in Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area, Oregon

Wetlands

Wetlands are habitats that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support vegetation typically adapted for life in sodden soil conditions. While dominated by periods of inundation, the natural ecological cycle may also include dry intervals. Permanently wet habitats include backwater sloughs, oxbow lakes, peatlands, …