Table of Contents 9 Reasons Oregon Should Restore and Protect Tidal Swamps A kayaker paddles through a tidal swamp in the Nehalem River estuary in Oregon. Dominated by Sitka spruce, this ecosystem is a rich haven for salmon, migratory birds, and other wildlife, and captures a substantial amount of carbon. Laura Brophy A tidal swamp may sound like an unfortunate accident of nature—a muddy, dark, wasted space that is best logged, drained, and “reclaimed” for pasture or other uses. That was the prevalent practice in the Pacific Northwest until the 1970s, often to the detriment of Pacific Northwest estuaries. As it turns out, these brackish transition zones between river and sea, also known as tidal forests, sequester vast amounts of climate-warming carbon, reduce flooding, improve water quality, stabilize the soil, moderate water temperature, and provide exceptional wildlife habitat.