Local tree farmers make headlines

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Longtime woodland owners always seem to have interesting stories to tell, and it seems like local writers are picking up on that. I just came across a story on Country Traveler Online about the VanNatta family and their tree farm outside of Rainier. This website says that it is  meant to “entice people to travel more in Oregon”. I wonder how many of these people will try to make it down the VanNatta’s driveway…

A couple of months ago, the Keasey family of Vernonia was featured in a long article in The Vernonia Voice. This family is now in the seventh generation of owning their land. Wow!

It’s great to see stories like these pop up in places where the public can learn what family woodland ownership is all about.

Tree and Plant Sales this Saturday!

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This is the big weekend for tree sales. Here’s the rundown for three sales, all happening Saturday, March 12th.

Columbia County Small Woodlands Association tree sale: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm at Lawrence Oil in St. Helens. Bareroot seedlings including Douglas-fir, western redcedar, grand fir, ponderosa pine,coastal redwood, port orford cedar, noble fir,  Oregon ash, and a variety of ornamental species. First come, first serve – arrive early for best selection!

Washington County Small Woodlands Association native plant sale: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Bales Thriftway in Aloha. A wide variety of container size trees, shrubs, and forbs. See the full list and details by clicking this link.

Weyerhaueser Public Seedling Sale: 8:00 am – noon, Aurora Forest Nursery. About a dozen conifer species of various stock types on sale as well as some hardwoods. Major forest species sold by the bag or in small quantities. All the details are here.

Happy planting!

“Plan For Your Land” small acreage workshop series

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There’s a workshop series coming up for rural, small acreage property owners who have (or want to have) multiple property uses, such as woodlands, pastures, and livestock. It will be at the OSU North Willamette Research and Experiment Station in Aurora on Wednesday nights beginning April 6th. Topics covered will include:
–conservation planning
–soil management
–well & septic management
–forests, rivers & wildlife
–mud and manure
For all the details and to sign up, visit this link.
Presented by the OSU Small Farms Program and the Tualatin, West Multnomah and Marion Soil & Water Conservation Districts

Woodland Management 101 Shortcourse begins Feb. 16

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For those who are new to managing their property, or who want an overview of the concepts and applications of forestry as applied to small woodlands, this shortcourse is a great place to start. The class will meet for five consecutive Wednesday evenings, Feb. 16 through Mar. 16, in North Plains. In addition there will be a Saturday tour to see and discuss woodland management on the ground. The class is about half-full, so if you want to sign up, register soon! There is a $40 course fee that covers all materials. For more information, see our flyer.

Woodland Information Night – Jan. 12

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I’m hosting Woodland Information Night at the Washington County Extension office on January 12th at 6:30 pm. The title of this program says it all – if you are a small woodland owner and are wondering where to go for help in taking care of your property, come and find out. You’ll find out about the multitude of local agencies and organizations that provide support to small woodland owners, take home resources to get you started, and get answers to your questions. The event is free. See you there!

Woodland Information Night
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011, 6:30 pm
OSU Extension Service
18640 NW Walker Rd, Beaverton

Launching our blog!

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Welcome to my blog! I am Amy Grotta, and I serve northwest Oregon from the offices of the Oregon State University Extension Service in Columbia and Washington Counties. I have created this blog as a means to disseminate information and event notices to small woodland owners and forest managers, and to connect members of these communities to one another and to OSU. Your participation and feedback is most welcome!