Habitat is the place where a plant or animal species naturally lives and grows. A description of habitat includes characteristics of the soil, water, and biologic community (i.e., other plants and animals). They are based on the way different wildlife species see the landscape. Smaller species often see the landscape at different scales than a larger or more mobile creature. A habitat for a sea anemone may be a single tide pool. For a wolf pack it may cover thousands of acres of forests, grasslands and mountains. Also, some species are habitat generalists, occurring in many different types of places. The common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) occurs in coastal headlands, valley prairies, forest meadows, and openings high in the mountains. Others, such as the Larch Mountain salamander have narrow habitat requirements, restricted to low elevation, wooded, talus slopes.
This section includes information about habitats and vegetation in the Deschutes Basin. It is organized in two broad areas of interest:
Wetlands and Riparian habitats include wetlands, bogs, marshes, and streamside forests. Restoring wetland and riparian habitats remains a primary goal of many watershed councils and agencies.
The word "uplands" is used to describe the higher-elevation areas between river and stream valleys. These areas tend to have drier soils than surrounding lowland, or valley bottom areas.
