Tree Farmers Of The Year
Acronyms are a part of our world. This acronym stands for Tree Farmers Of the Year, a very prestigious award given to hard working, extremely motivated, woodland tract owners that go above and beyond owning a piece of property that happens to have trees on it.
I had the opportunity to visit the current TFOY event with the close knit group of well over 100 people to celebrate Linda and Ernie Rieben and their family for the dedication and effort they put into a parcel of land they call the Madrona Ridge Tree Farm. The farm is located to the east of Banks in the foothills of the Coast Range.
The family has owned this property since 1926 and has large Douglas fir, cedar, large leaf maple and, of course, madrona.
For those who are unfamiliar with this tree, it is a red-bark hardwood that has the unusual distinction of losing its bark in the late spring to summer months. The peeling bark makes the tree look as if it is in distress and dying, but this is the natural sloughing process and the trees on Madrona Ridge are healthy and huge.
The day started with our mass of people splitting into groups for a walking tour of several stations to learn more about this tract of land and the history. Topics ranged from keeping a diverse stand of mixed species, thinning and managing to promote better timber, offering spaces that are welcoming for wildlife of many kinds, and controlling invasive vegetation.
Speaker Ken Nygren took the group downhill to an area that had once been cattle pastures. After the initial logging, the plan had been to convert the whole farm into animal production. After many years of effort, the plan did not work out for the farm and was planted back to trees in stages. The recent, intricate thinning done on this piece of land included the family’s desire to give the large leaf maple and madrona hardwoods ample sunlight and space to thrive while thinning the timber for better production in the future. The result of the logging opened up areas that are already filling in the canopy far above our heads.
Sam Sadtler regaled us with the history of the farm, pointing out the two story side-hill structure we were standing in had been the top half of the cow barn. We were in the hay storage and shop area while the loafing area for the cows was below.
Logging with steam donkeys and railroad lines were the norm when this area was first logged and one of the temporary railroad lines ran right through the property. Pictures of one log loads, a film clip of heavy loaders during logging operations, and family portraits taken among logs were displayed along the walls of the barn.
TWSCD (Tualatin Water Soil Conservation District) had a demonstration about noxious invading weeds and had tools on hand to show eradication of Scotch broom without the use of chemicals. The TWSCD has these tools available to borrow by the citizens of Washington County for their own control efforts.
The tour ended with a catered lunch, much conversation, an invitation to become a member of the Washington County Small Woodlands, and a new appreciation for the diversity of our natural environment. A sincere Thanks to the Rieben Family for a day full of information in the lovely setting of their property.