Natural Area Assessment Program Report

The Natural Area Assessment Program was developed in response to direction from Portland’s City Council. The Council passed Finance 2.19 Asset Management Policy in September 2021. This policy requires all City bureaus that manage capital assets to follow best practices in asset management. The Policy outlines the components for a complete asset management framework. The Natural Area Assessment Program is a significant step toward meeting this policy, effectively serving as both the Inventory and Condition Assessment components of the asset management framework for natural assets.

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) has completed condition assessments on 22% of the approximately 8,500 acres of natural areas it manages. The average Natural Area Condition Score for the system is 3 – Fair, meaning many sites show noticeable deterioration in ecological function and key service-influencing factors. While these areas are still functional, their ability to provide natural asset services is at risk of failing. All assessed sites showed evidence of environmental degradation from factors including invasive plant species, soil erosion, presence of trash, and other adverse causes.

The data collection portion of the project has required two permanent Asset Management staff and three seasonal employees working May through September, totaling over 2,500 hours. The goal is to complete the first assessment cycle by the end of 2029.

In a nutshell, this resource offers:

• Methodology for assessing natural area condition using an asset management framework. 
• Data from the first phase of the natural area assessment project.
• A comprehensive plant species list. 

How to use this resource:

• As an example of an ecological assessment methodology. 
• As a scoring system for assessing condition. 

Author: Portland Parks & Recreation Asset Management Workgroup

Date published: April 2025

Point of contact: Patrick Key Patrick.Key@portlandoregon.gov