Forest Management History
Most of the foothill sites in this area of the Willamette Valley were at one time small farms and/or ranches; prior to this they were maintained as grassland and oak savanna by periodic burning practices of pre-settlement Indians. Further west, much of the coast range has been perpetually forested. Few trees in the area exceed 120 years old (with the exception of the fire resistant oak). Nearly all of the region has been harvested and managed for timber since the 1940s or before.
A few of the larger oaks on the property date back to the middle of the 18th century. As fire and then grazing of the land was abandoned, it naturally re-seeded to fir. Just prior to the Gahr's purchase of the property in 1967, the previous owner planted Douglas-fir in forest openings, further speeding the transition to fir. Some of the larger oaks have died in the last 20 years as they have become overtopped by Douglas-fir. The first harvest during the Gahr's tenure was in 1982, when a neighboring logger selectively cut some of the larger Douglas-fir, leaving a mixed forest of oak, maple and emerging Douglas-fir regeneration. The Gahrs had not considered the forest a commercial venture prior to this time. The logger advised them to "run a dozer through the woods and push down" the oak, to make room for the abundant Douglas-fir regeneration. Ted Gahr responded to this advise and his growing understanding of the growth potential of the forest by starting a firewood removal program in 1983. For a number of years, large amounts of oak cordwood were removed (400 cords in 1983), always selectively and with remarkable care not to damage the residual woods. This selective removal served to "release" many of the emerging Douglas-fir from oak competition, stimulating growth and forest succession.
In the 1990's, the owners have selectively removed Douglas-fir in several harvests that have concentrated on cutting larger and rougher dominants, opening room for higher quality stems and fir regeneration. Several small "patch cuts" of one acre of less have taken fir and oak in areas that were understocked-- these were planted with Douglas-fir seedlings. Ted Gahr has also planted Douglas-fir under existing oaks in places (Type 4). Many of these plantings have done quite well and are beginning to emerge above the oaks, particularly where oak firewood removal has provided more light.