Ponderosa pine planting party coming to Sunnyside Park

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 Fifteen years in the making, a non-profit forestry group and Linn County are collaborating on a Sunnyside Park project. It is designed to highlight reforestation of the Willamette Valley Ponderosa pine.

The Linn County Small Woodlands Association is planting a grove of 50 young pine trees in the park. Along with the trees two interpretive signs under shelters will explain the history of the Willamette pine and the efforts of Sweet Home native Bob Mealey to restore the native race of trees in the valley.

Mealey started the LCSWA. His family home  was moved from what is now Foster Lake.

LCSWA has money to pay for this project from the RHM Pine Fund, established by Robert (Bob) H. Mealey prior to his death in 2007.

The Mealey family is one of Sweet Home’s founding families. Bob Mealey was born in 1912. He graduated from Sweet Home High School in 1932 and from Oregon State College in 1936.

In 1989, Mealey was recognized as the Oregon and Western United States Regional Outstanding Tree Farmer. He was also a fellow of the Society of American Foresters.

In 2000, the Robert H. Mealey Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine Native Gene Conservancy Orchard was dedicated at the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Schroeder Seed Orchard near St. Paul.

Growth in the pine fund investments has produced money for the Sunnyside project and perhaps other environmental education projects with Linn County public agencies.

Pines for the Sunnyside project will be planted soon, likely this week.

The signs for the grove  — located near the ranger residence — will be installed in the spring.

Community involvement in the project so far has included Sweet Home businesses helping to prepare the site for planting and possible partnership with Sweet Home High School forestry students on the project.

Two interpretive signs explaining the project have been constructed. Approval of all content on the signs remains with Linn County Parks administration.


“For many years, Linn County Small Woodlands has been looking for an appropriate way to both honor the memory of Bob Mealy, and stay true to his desire that the funds he set aside be used for community forestry education,” said incoming chapter President Tim Otis.

 “To this point, none of the projects we had considered really fit those goals,” said Otis.

“ When the board considered this opportunity to plant Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pines in a Linn County Park, along with a Kiosk describing the history of their preservation and development by Bob, we knew we had found a great project.”

A committee of retired forester Joe Holmberg, Melcher Logging Co. partner Jim Cota and board member Larry Mauter are currently working on the project. Dozens of other board members and OSU Extension Service personnel have been involved through the years.

Included in the donation agreement with Linn County is a memo of understanding allowing LCSWA to maintain the signs and pine grove into the future.



 


 


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