Hendricks Park is Eugene’s oldest city park, established in 1906. The 78-acre park is roughly one mile from the University of Oregon campus and home to a Douglas-fir dominated forest that contains a variety of tree species, ferns, wildflowers and ornamental plants. Hendricks Park contains trail types for hikers, birdwatchers, and mountain bikers. The park is comprised of three main plots: the rhododendron garden (15 acres), the native plant garden (5 acres) and the urban forest (58 acres). The landscape has changed in habitat over time. Prior to European settlement, the southern Willamette Valley, including Hendricks Park, was maintained as an oak woodland savanna. This was due in large part to the native Kalapuya tribe practice of regularly burning prairies and grasslands to manipulate their environment in order to make it better for growing food. With the cessation of burning, the park land has developed into a Douglas-fir dominated forest with a few small stands of restored Oregon white oak habitat.
In addition to its rich history, Hendricks Park’s accessibility to the community makes for an ideal space for runners, walkers, and those who simply enjoy a stroll through the gardens. However, the high volume of recreational use has introduced invasive species and altered the overall habitat of the park. The park’s landscape has changed drastically over the last 100 years, as evidenced by its transformation from an oak savannah to a Douglas-fir forest, and will continue to change as time progresses — but the type of change is largely in the community’s hands. By monitoring tree health, including the presence/absence of English ivy on/near the trees, our Environmental Leadership team in coordination with the City of Eugene and Friends of Hendricks Park will help carry the torch in steering the change of the park toward a sustainable, healthy forest to be cherished by the community for generations to come.
In addition to its rich history, Hendricks Park’s accessibility to the community makes for an ideal space for runners, walkers, and those who simply enjoy a stroll through the gardens. However, the high volume of recreational use has introduced invasive species and altered the overall habitat of the park. The park’s landscape has changed drastically over the last 100 years, as evidenced by its transformation from an oak savannah to a Douglas-fir forest, and will continue to change as time progresses — but the type of change is largely in the community’s hands. By monitoring tree health, including the presence/absence of English ivy on/near the trees, our Environmental Leadership team in coordination with the City of Eugene and Friends of Hendricks Park will help carry the torch in steering the change of the park toward a sustainable, healthy forest to be cherished by the community for generations to come.