News and Updates for LCSWA Members

Success has followed the LCSWA seedling sale into 2020, with pre-orders being filled Friday afternoon with volunteers from 4-H and the membership. “It went well. Not too many surprises,” said Bonnie Marshall, chair of the seedling sale. Pre-orders reached 201, up from 142 last year.  Already, a number of species have been sold out. Coast redwood, Nordmann fir, ocean spray, quaking aspen, red alder red-flowering currant and sugar maples. Patrons will be refunded money when orders are picked up Saturday, said Marshall. Look for more updates on the sale during the weekend. The local Woods Fair on Saturday morning will feature about 20 information booths. Products from the forest are available for purchase. The sale is located in the Santiam Building at the Linn County Fair. Doors open Saturday at 8 a.m. The sale will continue until noon or until  products are sold out. The LCSWA  raises money through the sale for scholarships to both 4-H students involved in forestry and

Jonathan Leever, 17, of Lebanon has been active in the seedling sale for nearly a decade. He recounts some of the highlights as he cast his eyes forward toward his future goals. "This is my ninth year doing the seedling sale. It is always loads of fun; friends, dirty hands and the smell of trees is quite enjoyable. It has been my favorite part of 4-H, to come and volunteer. "Sadly this is probably my last year doing the sale, as I am going to college next year. My hope is to go to Moody Aviation in Spokane, Washington and study Mission Aviation to be a pilot/mechanic on the mission field. 4-H has been a vital part of my education, and has taught me to love the outdoors and to lead and serve well."

Elizabeth Kinkade, 14, a 4-Her from Albany counted seedlings and packed orders in saw dust Friday afternoon. Here is her comments about the sale and  Friday afternoon. "I really enjoy helping out at the sale. Filling orders, counting seedlings and wrapping them is a lot of fun. One of the best parts of it to me is meeting and helping new people and also seeing people I saw last year that I had enjoyed working with. It also helps me in 4-H by being able to identify some of the plants as seedlings. I have been helping out at the seedling sale for 4 or 5 years now and would like keep doing it for years to come."

Andrew Leever, 14, of Lebanon, is a 10-year veteran of the seedling sale. Here is his take on the day before the sale. Volunteers are filling pre-orders all afternoon.  "The amount trees are staggering! Over thousands, upon thousands of young saplings! I have been a part of the tree seedling sale since 2010. It’s been fun, exiting, breathtaking and a great learning experience! Not only the amount of trees but the organization is incredible! I have learned so much from participating in the tree seedling sale. I love all the jobs and the conversation with good friends!"

The following is a comment from Gabriel Bradford, 15, one of the 4-Hers at work at the 25th annual seedling sale. "I learned about the tree seedling sale from the Clever Clovers forestry club and have been coming ever since I was 7. I love doing all the different jobs such as counting and filling. I think that the tree seedling is fun and think that every one should try it at least once."     

The 25th annual Linn County Small Woodlands Assoc. seedling sale is under way at the Linn County Expo.  About 50 volunteers from the membership and 4-Hers are packaging the 200 pre-orders on Friday afternoon in preparation for pickups Saturday morning. Pre-sale orders are up from 140 last year. Because of the growth in the sale, several plant species including Nordman fir and red alder  are already sold out. Those with pre-orders that can’t be filled will receive a refund check. Look for more updates on the sale during the weekend. The local Woods Fair will feature information booths and products from the forest available for purchase. The sale is located in the Santiam Building at the Linn County Fair. Doors open Saturday at 8 a.m. The sale will continue until noon or until  products are sold out. The LCSWA  raises money through the sale for scholarships to both 4-H students involved in forestry and to Oregon State University forestry students from Linn County.

The Linn County Small Woodlands Association has agreed to spend up to $10,000 this year on a Ponderosa pine education project. The approval came on a voice vote of the membership at its Jan. 18 annual meeting. Board President Lee Peterman introduced the ballot measure. Board member Larry Mauter outlined the project for members.  The proposal involves a partnership with Linn County and possibly forestry class students from Sweet Home High School. Money for the proposed demonstration pine grove and interpretive sign comes from the Robert H. Mealey Pine fund. That fund is administered by the LCSWA board. Roughly 75 people attended the annual meeting. LCSWA directors have been in talks with Linn County parks about the project that will require Linn County commissioners’ approval. The proposal includes planting 50 or so Willamette Valley ponderosa pines over a one-acre plot along Quartzville Road near Foster Lake. A covered two-sided interpretive sign would be adjacent to the

Deputy State Forester Lena Tucker will be the guest speaker at the Linn County Small Woodlands Association annual meeting. LCSWA membership will meet Sat. Jan. 18 at the Z Hall is Scio. A potluck dinner precedes the business portion of the meeting. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tucker earned her bachelor’s degree in forest management from Northern Arizona University. She started working for the Oregon Department of Forestry as a forestry intern when she was 19. She started with ODF permanently as a natural resource specialist in Astoria in 1994. Since then, Tucker has worked for ODF in a variety of positions, including serving as a forester in Astoria, the unit forester in Grants Pass, the Assistant Area Director in Eastern Oregon, the District Forester for the South Cascade District, and both the Deputy and Division Chief of the Private Forests Division. These positions provided her with a breadth of experience that spans all three geographic areas and all of the department’s m

Linn County Small Woodlands Assoc. members Tim and Kathy Otis are featured in the current Growing, the OSU Extension Service publication. The Otis family were the Linn County Tree Farmers of the year for 2019. Tim Otis is vice president of the LCSWA directors. He is also a master woodlands manager and past president of the Calapooia Watershed Council. “In it for the long haul” focuses on the Otis family forest management practices and the balancing act between financial realities and improving wildlife habitat. The Jan.-Feb. issue lead story includes photos and some nice quotes from Tim and Kathy that help explain tree-farming ways. “We are like pretty much all small woodland owners in that we all have other jobs, so it tends to be this part-time thing where you do some things on weekends and vacations,” Tim Otis said in the story. Kathy Otis referred to visiting other family tree farms and commented: “We learned that there is not a specific way to do things. It kind of depe

Deadline nearing for seedling sale pre-orders Jan. 18 is the cutoff for time-saving pre-orders for the Linn County Small Woodlands Assoc. 25th annual seedling sale. Scholarships for OSU forestry students and 4-Hers are the beneficiaries of the sale, set for Feb. 1 at the Linn County Fair and Expo Santiam Building. Order forms were printed in the Quarterly Bark and can be found on this web site under activities. By pre-ordering, customers can drop by anytime Saturday  between 8 and noon and find their bundled order ready. They are packaged in sawdust the previous day by 4-H volunteers and LCSWA members. A local woods fair is also on tap at the Santiam Building Saturday morning. Artisans will be selling wooden wares and various organizations will be setting up booths to provide information to woodlands owners. For more information, contact Bonnie Marshall at 503-769-6510.

Should Linn County Small Woodlands Assoc. spend up to $10,000 during 2020 on a Willamette Valley ponderosa pine educational grove at Sunnyside Park using RHM Pine Fund money? That question is now before the general membership. Directors at their Dec. 5 meeting unanimously agreed to move forward with a plan to work with Linn County using money from an endowment from Robert H. Mealey. The question will be decided at the annual membership meeting Jan. 18. LCSWA directors have been in talks with Linn County parks about the project that will require Linn County commissioners’ approval. The proposal includes planting 50 or so Willamette Valley ponderosa pines over a one-acre plot along Quartzville Road near Foster Lake. A covered two-sided interpretive sign would be adjacent to the grove, explaining the history and uses of the valley pine. Sweet Home High School forestry students may also be involved with the project. Tree planting could occur in December 2020. The ballot