Neal Bell and family honored by LCSWA with annual award The Neal Bell family hosted a tour of their tree farm on Saturday, Aug. 19. Neal, wife Valerie and son Damon are the Linn County 2023 Tree Farmer of the Year. The family has 110 acres of ridge-top property near Scio. Neal and Damon gave…

County has had two national winners and several western states honorees Linn County is timber-rich and rich in timber growing efforts. Roughly 70 percent of Linn County is forested – in a verdant belt running from the Willamette River to the Cascade peaks. The American Tree Farm System and Oregon Small Woodlands Association have added…

Linn County will host statewide convention in 2024 Two brothers – and their families – have been selected as Oregon’s top tree farmer for 2023. Jim and Ed Merzenich have partnered to manage Oak Basin Tree Farm in southern Linn County. The 956-acre tree farm is a family enterprise located south of Brownsville in the…

Opinion We received two visits this spring from members of Congress asking for our input. “How can the 2023 Farm Bill benefit Oregon” was the gist of their question. U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas representing Oregon’s 6th congressional district held a roundtable listening session in Salem on May 3. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, representing Oregon’s 5th congressional…

Neal Bell was part of first MWM class; son Damon follows in footsteps Neal and Valerie Bell are being honored as Linn County’s Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year. The Bell’s 110-acre tree farm is a ridgetop property in the Scio/Stayton area. They have owned the tree farm for 56 years and manage it primarily…

The centerpiece of Dragonfly Ranch is the family home of Dan and Sandre Nelson – a 2,800 square-foot concrete yurt-like building featuring a warm maple interior. Dan Nelson built the environmentally friendly structure over a two-year period. He described it as “super-energy efficient.” Nelson is a journeyman carpenter with plumbing and electrical skills. He also…

Dragonfly Ranch tour highlights public, private restoration effort Singing songbirds, fluttering swallows and butterflies, building beavers and diving western pond turtles were on display June 10 at Dragonfly Ranch. The Totem Pole Road property west of Lacomb is an ongoing restoration project of Dan and Sandre Nelson. The couple hosted a tree farm tour for…

Upgrade for ordering and payment process is task for retired ODF official Big changes are coming to the ever-popular Linn County Small Woodlands Association’s Seedling Sale for 2024. After seven years of nurturing and growing the seedling sale for the LCSWA, Lance and Bonnie Marshall are turning over the reins to Lena Tucker. Tucker –…

Followup visit expected after treatment of 50-acre site near Scio Thursday, May 18 was a warm and sunny afternoon with the temperature in the “Goldilocks zone.” Nearly two dozen attendees gathered together for a pleasant walk in the woods. The Providence tree farm property was purchased by the owner, Jim Merzenich, in 1990. The 50-acre…