Thousands of Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia) trees like these line the lower Tualatin. When the trees become too large and the riverbank becomes too undercut, the tree falls in the river.
The Tualatin River begins in the Coast Range west of Portland, Oregon and and drains a 712 square mile watershed into the Willamette River near West Linn, a few miles upstream from Portland. Part of the water from the lower Tualatin is diverted into Lake Oswego, a lake that is the centerpiece of the region's most affluent city.
This picture was taken from the Shamberg Bridge on Roy Rogers Road, just north of Sherwood, Oregon in the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge. Since the time when I took this photo, this road has been straightened and converted to a high use, high speed arterial. In the interest of safety, I recommend not using it for a photo platform today.
