Humans have been part of  the environment of the Butte for tens of thousands of years. The Kalapuya have lived in this area since time immemorial, and used cultural burns to keep the Willamette Valley, including most of Skinner Butte, as open oak meadow to support traditional foods including seed bearing plants, roots, and game. When white settlers arrived, Skinner Butte was a grassy area, not forested. Settlers and the CCC planted trees because they had a different aesthetic and values for the Butte.

Today, the City is working with partners to do ecological restorations including restoring grasslands as well as caring for the forested areas of the park.