The Upper Puget Sound Chapter of the Washington Farm Forestry Association is sponsoring a Tree Farm Tour for Farm Forestry members, friends, and non-members as well.
WFFA member Ken Osborn has graciously invited us to tour his Devils Creek Road tree farm. His forest ownership is under Nookachamps Forest, LLC and he has owned this 120 acre parcel since 1992. You will see several ages of stands from newly planted up to one that was planted in 1968 and commercially thinned twice. Ken mostly replants with Douglas fir, but also mixes in some Western Red Cedar and Hemlock. He will discuss advantages of doing site preparation before the new seedlings are planted. We will see a 1987 unit planted with Cedar in root rot areas and another where Cedar was under planted after a commercial thinning. It will be interesting to see how those tree are doing.
Ken has also invited several foresters and researchers to participate in discussions and answer your questions. There will be plenty of time if you have questions about climate change, plantation maintenance, logging contractors, cost share opportunities, carbon markets, timber markets or anything else.
LUNCH
Please bring your own lunch, drink and a lawn chair for a fun picnic in the woods and view of the forest land to the east. A porta potty will be available. After lunch a UPS Chapter discussion will be held. We could use your suggestions on what you would like from your Chapter. For the Chapter to be more active we do need members willing to step up and help. Bring your ideas and thoughts.
WEATHER AND COVID
The tour will be outside in the woods, so be prepared for various weather conditions. Some locations will be a short walk of 10 minutes. We will try to accommodate everyone. Regarding COVID, we ask everyone to take personal precautions that will make you comfortable in this outdoor group setting.
REGISTRATION
We would like you to register for this free event so we know how many people to plan for. Please use the "Register Now" buttons on the Event page to access the registration form.
Depending on the number of attendees we may find that carpooling is necessary. Please indicate your willingness to participate in a carpool by anwering the related question on the registration form so that we can send you additional information prior to the tour day, should it become necessary.
DIRECTIONS
The tour location is about 18 minutes from I-5, on Highway 9 about half way between Lake McMurray and Big Lake at mile post 43. From Interstate 5 take the Conway exit 221. Travel east on 534 about 5 miles to Highway 9. Then turn left (north) and go 2.9 miles and watch for the Devil’s Creek Road sign and tour flagging on the left side. Head up the gravel forest road 1.25 miles until you reach the parking area and tour check-in. You are a guest and can ignore the “No Trespassing” signs. The gravel road is steep in places, but suitable for smaller cars.
When
September 18th, 2021 9:00 AM through 2:00 PM
Location: Devils Creek Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98274
Contact: Phone: 360-770-4687
Email: kennethdosborn@gmail.com
Contact the chapter president for more information: ups@wafarmforestry.