The preservation and restoration of oak plant communities in Wasco and eastern Hood River counties can be important for many reasons. These habitats are dominated by the Oregon white oak and ponderosa pine. Because of the historical clearing of vast areas for grazing and agriculture, only a small percentage of these oak savannas and woodlands in Oregon remain. Research conducted by Oregon State University as a part of an USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant and data collected by participants in the Oregon Bee Project has found that native plant habitat in remnant oak stands in Wasco County provide the most important habitat for sustaining the bee diversity in the region. These oak plant communities also serve as important habitat for other beneficial (predator and parasitoid) insects that attack crop pests.