This list is designed to ensure the continued viability and diversity of indigenous plant and animal communities, protect public facilities from disruptive plants and tress, promote the use of plants naturally adapted to local conditions, and educate citizens about the region's natural heritage and the uses and values of native plants.

This list focuses on native plants because these plants provide critical structure to the ecosystem, linking many elements such as local soil and water resources and playing an important role in the hydrological cycle, photosynthesis and the biotic food web. A healthy native plant community serves many important functions by:

A.

Providing essential food and cover habitat for indigenous wildlife and helps sustain natural ecological processes;

B.

Enhancing air and water quality by trapping airborne particulates and by filtering sediments and pollutants from runoff before they enter streams and aquifers;

C.

Stabilizing stream banks and hillside slopes, and dissipating erosive forces;

D.

Stabilizing the local microclimate, thus reducing water and energy needs;

E.

Preserving the region's natural heritage;

F.

Providing scenic, recreational and educational values which, in turn, enhance the livability of Ridgefield and Clark County.

(Ord. 676 § 1 (part), 1995).

A.

In any development application where site plan review is required, the applicant shall landscape their property using plants on the native plant list or plants not on the nuisance or prohibited plant lists. Property owners shall avoid use of plants from the nuisance plant list and shall not landscape with any plants on the prohibited plant list.

B.

Where the city does not review a landscaping situation, the city discourages but does not prohibit property owners from making use of plants on either or both of the nuisance or prohibited plant list.

(Ord. 676 § 1 (part), 1995).

This plant list is divided into four sections: introduction, native plants, nuisance plants and prohibited plants.

A.

The native plants section is a listing of native plants historically found in the area. The list divides the plants into three groups: trees and arborescent shrubs, shrubs and groundcover. For each group, the list includes the scientific (Latin) name of a species, its common name, its wetland indicator status, and its associated habitat type. The habitat types are: wetland, riparian, forest, forested slopes, thicket, grass and rocky.

B.

The nuisance plants section is a listing of plants which may be native, naturalized or exotic. They are divided into two groups:

1.

Plants which are considered a nuisance because of their tendency to dominate plant communities, or are plants which are considered harmful to public facilities such as sewer lines, sidewalks and roads; and

2.

Plants considered harmful to humans.

C.

The prohibited plants section is a listing of plants which the city prohibits from use in all reviewed landscaping situations. Prohibited plant species pose a serious threat to the health and vitality of native plant and animal communities.

(Ord. 676 § 1 (part), 1995).

Plants may be added to or removed from the native plant lists. When a request is received, the planning director will consult with the city arborist and other knowledgeable persons with botany, biology or landscape architecture backgrounds to determine whether the plant in question should be added to or deleted. This decision will be forwarded to the applicant and will be final.

(Ord. 676 § 1 (part), 1995).

The native plant list in this section identifies native plants historically found in this area. The list divides plants into three groups: trees and arborescent shrubs, shrubs, and ground covers. Arborescent shrubs are indicated with an "AS" superscript. These shrubs may not be used to meet criteria or conditions of approval which require trees. For each group, the list includes the scientific (Latin) name, common name, indicator status and the habitat types where the plant is most likely to be found.

The indicator status refers to the frequency with which a plant occurs in a wetland; the categories are derived from the National List of Plant Species That Occur In Wetlands: 1988 National Summary (USFWS, Biological Report 88(24), 1988). The indicator categories are as follows:

A.

Obligate Wetland (OBL): occur almost always (estimated probability greater than ninety-nine percent) under natural conditions in wetlands.

B.

Facultative Wetland (FACW): Usually occur in wetlands (estimated probability sixty-seven percent to ninety-nine percent), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.

C.

Facultative (FAC): equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability thirty-four percent to sixty-six percent).

D.

Facultative Upland (FACU): usually occur in nonwetlands (estimated probability sixty-seven percent to ninety-nine percent), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability one percent to thirty-three percent).

E.

Obligate Upland (UPL): occur in wetlands in another region, but occur almost always (estimated probability greater than ninety-nine percent) under natural conditions in nonwetlands in the Northwest region.

A positive (+) sign used with an indicator category means that the plant occurs more frequently at the higher end of the range (more frequently found in wetlands). For example, FACW+ indicates that the plant is typically found in Northwest wetlands with an estimated probability of eight-three percent to ninety-nine percent. A negative (-) sign indicates a frequency toward the lower end of the range (less frequently found in wetlands). An NI (no indicator) was recorded for those species for which insufficient information was available to determine an indicator status. If no category or symbol is indicated for a plant then the plant does not occur in wetlands.

The habitat types are: wetland, riparian, forest, forested slopes, thicket, grass and rocky. "Wetland" includes all forms of wetlands found in Clark County. "Riparian" includes the riparian areas along Gee Creek, and other streams in the city. "Forest" refers to upland forested areas with little or no slope. "Forested slopes" refers to steeply sloping upland forests. "Thicket" refers to edges of forests and meadows and includes hedgerows and clumps of vegetation that may be found in meadows. "Grass" refers to open areas or meadows. It may also include clearings in forested areas. "Rocky" refers to rocky upland areas, and may include cliffs.

(Ord. 676 § 1 (part), 1995).

Native plants can be acquired through many local and specialty plant nurseries. Occasionally, particularly for large orders or less common plants, growers will need time to propagate and raise plants before they are ready for installation. For this reason, growers may need advance notice of plant orders and project timelines should allow adequate time to fill such orders.

(Ord. 676 § 1 (part), 1995).

* These plants have been placed on the nuisance plant list, as they have been determined to be either dominating or harmful. They may also be on the Washington noxious weed list. As such, their introduction or continuation may be inappropriate.

** These plants may be identified as rare, threatened or endangered.

^AS  For the purpose of this list, these plants are considered arborescent (tree-like) shrubs.

Nuisance Plants

Plants on this list can be removed and are prohibited in city reviewed landscapes. These plants may be native, naturalized or exotic. They are divided into two groups: plants which are considered a nuisance because of their tendency to dominate plant communities, and plants which are considered harmful to humans.

The following trees are prohibited within one hundred feet of public sewers:

The following trees are prohibited within ten feet of public right-of-ways, sidewalks or parking lots:

The following trees are prohibited within five feet of sidewalks: