News
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Contributions to this website from Linn County Small Woodlands Association members and forestry interests are welcome. Submittals will be edited. We are interested in news and meetings relating to Linn County and neighboring counties.
Oak Basin lessons learned being passed along
LCSWA tour displays conservation efforts in Linn County Family forestry has flowered at the Oak Basin Tree Farm. The Linn County property is a checkerboard of wildlife habitat, agroforestry and productive timber stands spanning 940 acres in the Coburg Hills. In the fall of 2020 co-owner Jim Merzenich wrote an article about Oak Basin for…
Chats along the trail focus on issues and techniques facing tree farmers.
Here are a few bullet points that popped up with questions and observations during the Sept. 24 Oak Basin tree farm tour: Early on Jim Merzenich said that climate change is having a bigger impact on stand success and planting patterns. “Drought has replaced deer browsing as our greatest threat to plantation success,” he wrote…
28th annual Linn seedling sale coming Feb. 4, 2023
Oregon ash off the table due to emerald ash borer The 28th annual Linn County Small Woodlands Association Seedling Sale is on tap for Feb. 4, 2023 — at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center. We will offer our usual selection of conifers, as well as other native trees, shrubs, and plants. In light…
What makes us civil
Opinion: This being my last column, I have chosen to share something not tree-related, but rather offer something I wrote several years ago, but which has recently much on my mind. Here it is. I recently read a New York Times editorial written by David Brooks about the growing lack of civility in public life…
Sunnyside Park pine project to be dedicated Oct. 15
Effort highlights work of forester Bob Mealey in reintroducing Ponderosas throughout the Willamette Valley More than a decade in the making, an environmental education project at Linn County’s Sunnyside Park is complete. A dedication ceremony has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15. The 9 a.m. gathering will be at the project site, located on the…
On-site electric mill shapes timber for Linn tree farmer
According to the Oregon History Project, by 1850 there were dozens of sawmills producing both timber and shingles in the Willamette Valley. “The mills supplied not only local needs but also a developing export trade, notably to the Sandwich Islands — now Hawaii,” according to the Oregon Historical Society project. Water power was the key…
Sept 24 Oak Basin tour features timely demonstrations, views and even lunch
Rescheduled from August, the Linn County Small Woodlands Association “tree farmer of the year” walking tour will be Saturday Sept. 24. Hosting will be the families of Ed and Jim Merzenich at their Oak Basin Tree Farm. Tour topics will include thinning, reforestation, oak restoration, and noxious weed control. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining…
Oak Basin tour delayed until September
Because of expected high temperatures and potential fire danger, the scheduled tour of Oak Basin Tree Farm is being rescheduled. A new tour date has been set for Saturday, Sept. 24. Forecast highs for Aug. 6 are expected in the mid-90s. Oak Basin sits in the Coburg Hills above the Willamette Valley. The tour will…
Hungry Hill tour captures recovery from damaging ice storm
Woodland skills help White tree farm survive 2021 disaster It was a tour showcasing the vagaries of nature, some local history, and Oregon timber ingenuity.South of Scio on the north side of Hungry Hill, there is plenty of evidence of a natural disaster — craggy oaks, bent-over pines, and Douglas-fir cascading against other trees like…
Linn County tree farmer lays out tools of the trade
Every profession has a set of basic tools. Carpenters, plumbers, electricians and yes, foresters do too. 4-Her Ryan Henry recently interviewed Lee Peterman to find out what are the basic tools used on a Linn County tree farm. Peterman is a newly minted OSU Extension master woodlands manager. He is a past president of the…