Meet Members

During his early days Bob had worked in British Columbia in the woods, but went on to a career in biochemistry at several universities.  He was not planning on being a tree farmer in his retirement, but he felt that creating or restoring a forest would be a satisfying project. After looking at several properties and deciding climbing around in slash wouldn’t be fun, he and his wife Kazuko...

As the manager of Five Point Lodge Inc., Mike Blais isn’t just managing this 290-acre tree farm on behalf of his family but five other families who also have an ownership stake in the continued sustainable stewardship of this tree farm. The tree farm was founded in May 1947 and is located near Sultan, Washington. Their primary objectives are managing for timber production, wildfire habitat,...

Bob & Jane Brink, partners in the Pomeroy Tree Farm near Yacolt in Clark County, live on and manage the property where Jane's great grandfather, E.C. Pomeroy, settled in 1910.  They were nominees for the 2020 Washington State Tree Farmer of the Year.  This short video telling about their tree farm was...

I grew up spending my childhood living most of the year in Chehalis, Washington, and spending my summers living with my Grandparents in a small town in Northern Germany. I have many happy memories of the woods in both places, having been afforded the freedom to explore the forest with my friends, build forts, and cause just the right amount of trouble. I’ve also been an avid mushroom hound...

Chris Clowe’s dad, Earl Clowe, originally purchased 160 acres in Mossyrock in 1946. Chris and his wife, Melanie, moved around the Northwest following jobs (mostly logging) in their youth and returned to the family farm in 1980. They currently hold 88 acres of the original purchase made by Chris’ dad. Chris and Earl embarked on logging of the back 34 acres upon Chris’ return to the farm in 1980...

The Dickinson family ownership of land in the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington started in 1945 when Ben Dickinson returned home to Starbuck, WA, after the liberation of Europe in World War II.  His mother had been saving his military pay until he returned.  He met and married Susan Harris, a school teacher and they began to purchase “summer pasture” land to support a herd of 30 cow-...

Ellis Family Tree Farm

The 197-acre Ellis family tree farm located on the Gig Harbor peninsula, northwest of Wollochet Bay in Pierce County. Margaret "Kit" Ellis is the second-...

Chuck and Nan Higgins were named Washington State Tree Farmer of the Year in 2021, an award that is well deserved and a long time in coming.  A video about their tree farm was prepared for the occasion. Chuck has been active in the Lewis County Farm Forestry Association since the 1970s, serving a chapter president in...

While growing up in the woods just outside of Castle Rock an Longview, Washington, Navy veteran Michael Hurley always dreamed of owning a tree farm. Today he and his wife, who is a former Arkansas state trooper, are living that dream on their 128-acre tree farm located on the headwaters of Salmon Creek nestled within a surrounding landscape dominated by Douglas fir, Western hemlock, red alder...

When Earl and Laurine Ingebright found an ad in a local paper for a property near Arlington in 1958, they knew it would be a place for family fun, relaxation, and a quite a lot of work. What they could not have anticipated was the sheer diversity of endeavors, parties, and fun that the family would pursue on the property over the coming generations.

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Like other people, Bill Kemp found that life is a route of many changes that could not be foreseen. Upon high school graduation, he entered college toward a B.S. in Forestry (Fish & Wildlife), but interrupted that goal with a stint in the U.S. Navy for 11 years of active duty. Bill eventually completed the forestry degree, along with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, a B.A. in Education, and...

The Kingsbury's Five Springs Tree Farm was purchased in 1955 by John Kingsbury, and is now managed by his sons, Daniel and Doug, and their families. With a strong family ties to the tree farm, each member of the family is actively involved with management and future objectives. Over the years the tree farm has been very active both in the community and on the land. In 2017 they were named...

Rick is a professional forester who has worked for the U.S. Forest Service, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, for a private consulting company, and currently as currently the Program Manager in Forest Resources for the Corps of Engineers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  One of his jobs in the DNR was in the Small Forest Landowner Office where he assisted and advocated for small...

Burnt Ridge rises from rolling farmland as you travel east from Onalaska, WA. Upon this ridge is a 40 acre piece of land known as the J.W. Logan Tree Farm, owned by Bill and Marilyn Logan. The J.W. initials are a tribute to the late father of William “Bill” Logan, who originally purchased these 40 acres as a portion of a larger...

Bryon and Donna have been active in WFFA for over 40 years.  Bryon is a retired forester and Donna a retired forestry librarian, so their lives are immersed in forestry.  Both have served as President of the Lewis County chapter of WFFA and Donna has been state membership chair for 20 years.  Their 160 parcel just west of Chehalis in Lewis County has been the site of many tours for WFFA...

Ken and Bonnie Miller are a fixture of sorts in the small forest owner community of Washington.  They’ve been active in the Washington Farm Forestry Association for years, have hosted an uncountable number of tours on their property, and Ken is an active advocate for small forest owners in state natural resource policy.  This passion for private forestry started back in 1989 when they bought...

David and Dar New, and their daughter’s family, Jennifer and Jeff Parker and their sons, are owners of the Nourse Family Tree Farm near Bellingham. The 165-acre property has been in Dar’s family for three generations. 

The New family began their stewardship journey with no formal forestry background or extensive financial resources, yet they knew they wanted to care for the land...

The Hemphill-O’Neill Company has been a family-owned and operated lumber and timber company since 1947.  Seventy-five years ago, Harold O’Neill and Allen Hemphill started as lumber brokers for the many small independent sawmills in the area.  The company grew to be one of the largest independent family owned lumber and decking manufacturers in North America.  Robert O’Neill, Sr. became...

Richard and Debra Pine, owners of O'Neill Pine Company, have 45 parcels totalling about 2200 acres of land, primarily along the I-5 corridor in Lewis County.  The land was first acquired by Debra's grandfather Harold O'Neill.  Richard and Debra were named Washington State Tree Farmers of the Year in 2019.  This short video...

Nick Somero, owner of M&H Tree Farm, was a nominee for Washington State Tree Farmer of the Year for 2021. His tree farm owes its origins to Nick’s parents who purchased the property in 1940. Over the years, Nick purchased additional acreage that grew the property to its current 50 acres, and it has been certified as a tree farm for 41 years....