Sawmill Operation: Sierra Pacific Industries

Date of Visit: May 14, 2019

Type of event: Study tour
Topic: Sawmill Operation

Companies/Organizations: Sierra Pacific Industries
Hosts: Shane Young / Area Manager, Tanner Estes / Plant Safety Manager, Darren Dearborn / Interim Plant Manager at Sierra Pacific
International Fellows: Richard Banda (Malawi), Fen-hui Chen (Taiwan), Temitope Dauda (Nigeria), Zhongyuan Ding (China), Ana Kanoppa (Brazil), Will Maiden (United Kingdom), Romain Matile (France), Rodolfo Vieto (Costa Rica)
WFI Staff:  Vivian Bui / Professional Programs Coordinator, Shadia Duery / International Fellowship Program Manager, Rick Zenn / Senior Fellow

As we traveled south from Portland to California on I-5, changes in geological and atmospheric conditions, such as wind, humidity and elevation, gave rise to new ecological conditions, allowing for different dominant tree species compositions to be present in the surrounding landscapes. We drove through Douglas Fir-dominated conifer forests, mixed conifers, Ponderosa Pine, Oak savannah, and agricultural and cattle-ranching areas to the humid land of the Redwoods National and State Parks.

Sawmill Operation with Cogeneration Plant

Inside the control room

In Anderson, California we visited one of Sierra Pacific Industries’ twelve industrial facilities. Sierra Pacific is one of the few remaining vertically integrated forest products companies in the US. This tour provided a good opportunity to note how the efficiency-seeking culture of the US is implied in all the processes we observed. Beyond the plant’s operations, we were able to confirm that different management planning techniques, such as optimal harvest scheduling, are also applied in the formulation of Sierra Pacific’s forest management plans.

This sawmill plant runs for 20 hours a day, 5 days a week, with two daily shifts. It consists of 6 divisions and receives approximately 200 log trucks a day that were already sorted in the forest at time of harvesting. Logs are watered in the log yards to avoid cracking in the dry climate. This is a zero-waste plant producing for the wood commodity market in which residues, including bark chips, are collected and sold for home landscaping purposes. Fuel-wood is used to power a 30-Megawatt cogeneration plant. Sierra Pacific’s industrial facilities are carbon neutral, allowing the company to sell carbon credits. Technologically speaking, the plant is self-sustained, developing their own processing equipment mainly with electric motors rather than hydraulic, assisted with Programming Logic Controls and multiple optical sensors along the production lines, including log scanning and sawing, re-sawing, edging, planning, grading, trimming, and stacking and packaging.

Various stages of the production line

Rodolfo Vieto, International Fellow from Costa Rica

An International Fellow’s Thoughts and Perspectives

From a Costa Rican forestry economist’s point of view, the efficiency-seeking culture in the Pacific Northwest forestry sector is impressive as well as motivating when you want your own country’s forestry sector to grow. And even though the technology we observed on this study tour is designed for coniferous trees and may not be directly applicable to tropical tree species as-is, the concepts would still be applicable to larger-sized forestry plantation investments which need to be promoted in Costa Rica. Forestry is an activity that is economically feasible under the right economies of scale. For it to be an attractive business, efficiency-seeking management and industries are required.

Agroforestry: Lago di Merlo Vineyards

Date of Visit: May 15, 2019  
Type of event: Study tour
Topic: Agroforestry
Organization: Lago di Merlo Vineyards and Ca'Bella
Location: Geyserville, California
Hosts: Harry Merlo, Jr.
International Fellows: Richard Banda (Malawi), Fen-hui Chen (Taiwan), Temitope Dauda (Nigeria), Zhongyuan Ding (China), Ana Kanoppa (Brazil), Will Maiden (United Kingdom), Romain Matile (France), Rodolfo Vieto (Costa Rica)
WFI Staff: Shadia Duery / International Fellowship Manager, Rick Zenn / Senior Fellow, Vivian Bui / Professional Programs Coordinator

On a week-long trip to northern California, the International Fellows visited Harry Merlo, Jr. at his vineyard for a morning tour on agroforestry. Harry Merlo, Sr., philanthropist and World Forest Institute founder, raised his son Harry Jr. in the winemaking tradition. Harry Sr. began at the age of five, crushing grapes with his feet for his father, Giuseppe Merlo, in the Italian section of Stirling City, California. The tradition continued with the acquisition of Harry Sr.’s vineyard near Geyserville, California in 1965. Eventually, family interest in winemaking led his son, Harry Jr., to study viticulture and enology at California State University, Fresno. Following graduation, Harry Jr. ultimately became Manager of Lago di Merlo Vineyards & Winery at the Merlo Ranch in Sonoma County. Under Harry Jr.'s leadership, the Merlos have expanded their vineyard to over 200 acres and currently grow Sangiovese Piccolo, Merlot, Cabernet, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Group photo in front of Harry Jr.'s grape harvester, which can harvest
up to 10 acres/hour. The harvester is Harry Jr.'s most expensive equipment.

Harry Jr. describes his method of vineyard management as a collaboration between agriculture and forestry. He believes in responsible stewardship of the land and participates in Sustainable Sonoma's voluntary points system, where private landowners earn points for implementing sustainable measures, including installing solar panels, planting trees to minimize soil erosion, and providing wildlife habitat, such as wood duck boxes. Currently on his 30th harvest, Harry Jr. chooses not to use Roundup to control weeds underneath the grapevines and instead opts for more labor-intensive mechanical weeding. Annual post-harvest pruning is also done by hand, whereas leaf thinning is done both by hand and mechanically. Cover crops, such as legumes and oats, are planted in between grapevine rows then tilled under to improve soil conditions. The entire vineyard is irrigated by drip irrigation, which uses water from the property's own reservoir at a low rate of 1 gallon per hour. The perimeter of the vineyard is lined with pine trees, which act to prevent soil erosion. Over the past 30 years, more than 750,000 conifers have been planted on the property. The forested part of the property is managed under a non-commercial timber harvest plan, which stipulates that no more than 2,050 board feet can be harvested at a time. Harry Jr. describes managing his land as a "lifestyle occupation" and can't imagine doing anything better for a living.

Thank you so much, Harry, for your generous hospitality!

Dinner with Harry Jr. at Catelli's, his favorite Italian restaurant

Seedling Nursery Management: IFA Nurseries, Inc.

Date of visit: May 1, 2019
Type of event: Study tour
Topic: Seedling Nursery Management
Company visited: IFA Nurseries, Inc.
Location: Aurora and Canby, Oregon
Hosts: Shannon Murphy and Thomas Cushman, Nursery Managers
International Fellows: Richard Banda (Malawi), Fen-hui Chen (Taiwan), Temitope Dauda (Nigeria), Zhongyuan Ding (China), Ana Kanoppa (Brazil), Will Maiden (UK), Rodolfo Vieto (Costa Rica)
WFI Staff: Shadia Duery / International Fellowship Program Manager

On a sunny Thursday, May 2nd, 2019, the International Fellows had their first study tour of the month to IFA Nurseries in Aurora and Canby, Oregon. Since 1941, IFA Nurseries has been providing foresters and landowners with a full-service conifer seedling system that offers the following: risk diversity, custom growing, excellent facilities, and experienced management for their reforestation seedling contracts. In total, IFA Nurseries has grown over 1.5 billion seedlings since its establishment.

Aurora IFA nursery managers with international fellows

IFA Nurseries performs a variety of operations ranging from seed collection and treatment to the production of seedlings. Seeds are collected from orchards and wild picking. Collection is done by climbing or cutting trees and collecting cones which are mostly green because of their freshness at time of harvest. The cones are then put into a bin where they are heated until they are dry and open. They are then shaken up to remove the seeds. Each seed then goes through several processes before it is separated from the chaff and is treated to preserve its viability. Seeds are sometimes colored for easy identification. Seed collection zones are well-documented to ensure that seed species are matched with the correct planting site. Seeds from any particular zone should not be planted in a different zone.

Greenhouses at the Aurora nursery

IFA Nurseries produces both bareroot and container seedlings. Seedling size at time of planting depends on customer preference, with large seedlings being the most common preference. To ensure high productivity, seed viability and germination rate are checked. Sowing is done in February or March, and seedlings grow for a year before either being released to a customer or sent to the Canby facility for another year of growth and development in the ground. The species of seedlings that IFA Nurseries produces are mainly Douglas fir, Western hemlock, Western red cedar, true firs and Ponderosa pine. After supplying seedlings to customers, IFA Nurseries arranges a tour with each customer to assess seedling performance and to maintain these professional relations.

If you think seedling production is easy, then think again because, despite their successes, IFA Nurseries also faces their own challenges. Such challenges include frequent weeding, which can

Slugzilla enjoying happy hour

significantly increase labor costs. There is also the problem of pests at different stages of production. For example, birds consume the seeds after sowing, while slugs attack seedlings at an early stage after germination. Insecticides are applied every ten days to solve this problem. Heavy rains can also pose a problem, especially at the Canby nursery, where bareroot seedlings are grown.

Lessons Learned

To increase efficiency, some equipment at IFA Nurseries has been built from locally available resources. This has helped to reduce the cost labor. This is a positive development, especially when one’s profit margin is so narrow that acquiring the most advanced and expensive machinery is not feasible. The innovations that are being made are making efficiency attainable in the production process. At times, the forestry industry suffers from a narrow profit margin or no profit at all; therefore, there is a need to find more cost-effective alternatives to some operations.

An International Fellow’s Thoughts and Perspectives

Richard Banda, International Fellow
from Malawi, in his favorite jacket

I work in a plantation back home in Malawi and run a nursery that raises about one million seedlings a year. There are many areas in which my nursery could use some improvement. Visiting a site that produces 10 times more than what I produce was a very good learning platform. Though the practices in Oregon are not exactly the same as what happens in the tropics, most operations are similar. For example, in Malawi, field planting is done between December and April, while in Oregon that’s when sowing is done. I was impressed with the sowing methods, nursery management, and seedling transportation. Though we may not have the same opportunity as far as equipment access is concerned, the Pacific Northwest thinking is something that can help us to improve our operations back home in Malawi.

Urban Forestry: Forest Park

Date of Visit: April 18, 2019
Type of event: Study tour
Topic: Urban Forestry
Organization: Portland Parks & Recreation
Location: Forest Park, Portland, Oregon
Hosts: Marshall Johnson / Forest Park Natural Resource Ecologist, Becca Shively / Renew Forest Park Program Specialist
International Fellows: Richard Banda (Malawi), Fen-hui Chen (Taiwan), Temitope Dauda (Nigeria), Zhongyuan Ding (China), Ana Kanoppa (Brazil), Will Maiden (United Kingdom), Romain Matile (France), Rodolfo Vieto (Costa Rica)
WFI Staff: Shadia Duery / International Fellowship Program Manager


The International Fellows’ most recent study tour was a visit to Portland’s Forest Park, a 5,100-acre expanse of urban forest on the outskirts of Portland. Forest Park is one of the largest urban forests in the US, so what better place to look at the issues presented in managing urban trees? The site is currently predominantly second-growth Douglas fir and bigleaf maple, as timber production only ceased in 1948 following the park’s creation. The park is funded at a city level but also raises additional capital by bidding for government grants. Managers work in close cooperation with the Forest Park Conservancy Trust, a partnership which allows a greater amount of habitat restoration to take place. The Fellows were met by Marshall Johnson from the Portland Parks & Recreation Department, who led them on an insightful hike to explain the management of the site and show areas where habitat conservation work is occurring. Marshall explained that the site is chiefly managed for ecology, aiming to restore the site to a more natural condition. This is being achieved through the 20-year Renew Forest Park initiative, which aims to restore habitat, rebuild infrastructure, and reconnect local stakeholders through improved access.

Marshall from Portland Parks & Recreation explaining
site management to the International Fellows

Much of the habitat restoration work in Forest Park
is carried out by volunteer groups

Lessons Learned 

Of chief concern is the effort to control the spread of invasive, shade-tolerant species, such as English ivy (Hedera helix) and holly (Ilex aquifolium). These are garden escapees and outcompete the natural vegetation, resulting in lower levels of biodiversity within the urban forest. Herbicide application has been chosen as the most practical form of management, and large areas of treated vegetation were visible within the forest. Portland Parks & Recreation has worked to inform and educate park users by providing interpretation boards and distributing leaflets to local residents.

A key aim in the park’s management is not to exceed carrying capacity of the site. Portland’s population is continuing to grow, meaning park use is predicted to increase. Portland Parks & Recreation are exploring options to increase revenue generation and increase education to prevent damage occurring to the forest ecology. This is no easy task considering the multiple access points and size of Forest Park.


An International Fellow’s Thoughts and Perspectives

Will Maiden, International Fellow
from the United Kingdom

The location of Forest Park next to a large urban population reflects much of my work back in my home country, the United Kingdom. It was interesting to hear how a municipal agency works in partnership with conservation agencies to achieve ecological aims. This is an area where I see potential lessons to take back to the UK, where government funding cuts are resulting in cuts to the management of parks and green spaces.

Seeing British native species acting as invasive weeds was interesting. Holly and ivy provide beneficial additions to the British environment. However, when moved into a new habitat, these non-native species outcompete native flora and have a detrimental effect on biodiversity. As my research in the US focuses on the management of pests and disease, it was good to hear that a robust monitoring and eradication of pest species is in place in Forest Park. This has resulted in the successful eradication of a Gypsy Moth outbreak within the forest. The UK would benefit from Oregon’s approach regarding pest monitoring and raising awareness of the issues that pests and disease pose to the forest ecosystem.

Small Forest Land Ownership: Little Beaver Creek Tree Farm

Date of Visit: April 11, 2019  
Type of event: Study tour
Topic: Small Forest Land Ownership
Organization: Doneen Inc.
Location: Forest Grove, Oregon
Hosts: Anne and Richard Hanschu
International Fellows: Richard Banda (Malawi), Fen-hui Chen (Taiwan), Temitope Dauda (Nigeria), Zhongyuan Ding (China), Ana Kanoppa (Brazil), Will Maiden (United Kingdom), Romain Matile (France), Rodolfo Vieto (Costa Rica)
WFI Staff: Shadia Duery / International Fellowship Manager, Vivian Bui / Professional Programs Coordinator

The International Fellows' latest study tour was to Little Beaver Creek Tree Farm, owned and operated by second-generation owners Anne and Richard Hanschu. The tree farm was established in 1956 when Anne's father purchase 212 acres. When it became time for Anne and Richard to take over the property, they retired from their previous careers as a schoolteacher and veterinarian, respectively, and relocated from Oklahoma to Oregon. According to Richard, "forestry is the best way to retire." Not having had any formal training in forestry, the Hanschus completed Oregon State University's master woodland manager extension program, which the couple credits with providing practical meaning and application to information and ideas. The Hanschus now own a total of roughly 500 acres divided across three properties, which they actively manage for"economically-minded sustainable production." In addition, Anne and Richard host group tours on their property to share with others the forest management lessons they have learned during their tenure. During our visit, the Hanschus walked us through their operations, talked about what it’s like to be a family-run and operated tree farm, and showed us the work they’ve been doing on their property.

Anne and Richard Hanschu (center), owners and operators of Little Beaver Creek Tree Farm.
Or, as Richard likes to say, "Anne is the owner and I'm her only employee."

Richard Hanschu explains the logging practice known as
a "reverse Humboldt cut" to WFI Fellows

The harvest from Little Beaver Creek is both exported internationally to Japan and China and sold domestically as construction materials, utility poles, and pulp fiber. After a clearcutting operation is completed, the Hanschus bulldoze the remaining slash, scarify the soil to increase mineral accessibility, spray herbicide to control invasive plant species, and finally plant bareroot seedlings by hand. The seedlings are free to grow on their own for the first six years, and the first thinning might occur when the trees are 25 to 30 years old. Replanting is begun within 12 months of harvest, completed within 24 months of harvest, and at a density of approximately 400 seedlings per acre. In recent years, Anne and Richard have expanded to non-timber forest products, mainly in the form of essential oils marked under the Oregon Forest Canopy brand.

Anne and Richard Hanschu describe the age distribution
of the tree stands at Little Beaver Creek Tree Farm

The Hanschus manage their land using the following guidelines:

• Multiple-aged stands
• Small-patch clearcuts (6-10 acres)
• Practice cable logging, land falling, weather logging, and shovel logging
• FSC and American Tree Farm System-certified
• Leave snags and heritage frees as wildlife habitat
• No logging within 100'-wide riparian buffer zone
• Reinvest in property improvements, including road maintenance/improvement for wildfire protection and year-round accessibility to tree stands

"If your roots are planted in the right place, you will prosper."
-Richard Hanschu

West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District

Date of Visit: August 23, 2018
Type of event: Study tour
Topic: Habitat restoration and conservation on local public lands
Location: Wilcox Estates Homeowner Association, Portland, Oregon; Oak Island and Sturgeon Lake, Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, Oregon
Tour Guides: West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District staff- Jim Cathcart / District Manager, Michael Ahr / Forest Conservationist, Mary Logalbo / Urban Conservationist, Scott Gall/ Rural Conservationist, Michelle Delepine / Invasive Species Program Coordinator, Laura Taylor / Conservation Technician and Education Coordinator, Randi Razalenti / Office Manager, Ari Demarco / Seasonal Conservation Technician
International Fellows: Jeen Bunnik (Netherlands), Meei-ru Jeng (Taiwan), Xuejiao Li (China), Thammarat Mettanurak (Thailand), Tuan Manh Phan (Vietnam)
WFI Staff: Shadia Duery / International Fellowship Manager, Vivian Bui / Professional Programs Coordinator

Map of WMSWCD project sites visited on study tour

Staff from the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (WMSWCD) led the World Forest Institute (WFI) International Fellows on a day-long study tour to see habitat restoration and conservation in action at several project sites within the Portland Metro area.

Forest and stream restoration project site
at Wilcox Estates Homeowner Association

The first project site we visited was the Wilcox Estates Homeowner Association (WEHOA) forest and stream restoration site in the West Hills of Portland. The project covers 7.2 acres of a forested ravine and is led by Margaret and Mike Schonhofen, John Long, Victoria Vining-Gillman, and Karen Suher. The work is actively supported by the WEHOA Board, an HOA comprised of 152 homes. The land being restored is an important drainage in the area and part of the larger headwater system draining to the Tualatin River. The native shrubs and trees that have been planted support wildlife, absorb and slow stormwater runoff, and provide natural filtration which enhances the local waterways. Restoration planning began in September 2012 and gained momentum with a $10,000 grant from WMSWCD for contractor services to eliminate invasive species and plant native shrubs and trees. in January 2013. Mary Logalbo, Urban Conservationist for WMSWCD developed the Conservation Plan for the project, and the grant was increased to $18,000 as the project expanded to include most of the bordering properties. WMSWCD annually monitors the site and provides maintenance recommendations.

Oak savannah habitat at Sauvie Island Wildlife Area

Afterwards, WMSWCD staff took the WFI Fellows to Sauvie Island Wildlife Area (SIWA), a wildlife area established north of Portland at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in 1947 with the primary objectives of protecting and improving waterfowl habitat and providing a public hunting area. Over time the management challenges of SIWA have become more complex as ODFW balances traditional waterfowl habitat needs and waterfowl hunting with an increase in wintering geese populations, increased demands for public use, habitat needs for federal and state-listed species, and the need to integrate SIWA with the statewide Oregon Conservation Strategy (OCS). SIWA staff have identified four primary management foci:

1) Providing habitat for ducks and other waterbirds,

2) Providing habitat for wintering Canada geese,

3) Helping achieve OCS objectives, and;

4) Providing recreational opportunities for hunters, anglers, and wildlife viewers.

Sturgeon Lake

We met with Kasey Scrivens from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to learn about efforts to restore oak savannah habitat, of which 99% of the historic range has been lost. We also met Pat Welle from Scappoose Bay Watershed Council, who gave us an overview on Conservation Opportunity Areas and the "Sauvie Island Plan."

Addition of logjams (lower left) to create habitat features
 for salmon and other wildlife at the mouth of Dairy Creek

Finally, we visited the Sturgeon Lake/Dairy Creek Restoration Project site, where Scott Gall, Rural Conservationist with WMSWCD, explained to us the project's benefits to salmon and waterfowl. Sturgeon Lake is approximately 3,000 acres of open water and wetland habitat that is critical to the production and protection of waterfowl and other wildlife species, including migratory salmonids, many of which are listed under the state and federal Endangered Species Act. Due to levee construction which has altered the natural hydrology, Sturegon Lake is silting in. There has been an ongoing effort to restore water movement and reduce sedimentation in Sturgeon Lake. WMSWCD is helping to develop a plan to monitor future sediment build-up, unwanted debris accumulation, water flow, water temperature, and presence of  invasive species. WMSWCD will take ownership and maintenance responsibility of an irrigation pipe that passes through the Multnomah County road right-of-way and also take ownership of the project's debris boom at Dairy Creek's confluence with the Columbia River. WMSWCD is also responsible for maintaining a project Stewardship Fund for the purpose of funding any specialized maintenance activity, including repair and replacement of the debris boom.

Eagle Fern Park

Date of Visit: August 9, 2018
Type of event: Study tour
Topic: Old-growth forest ecology
Location: Eagle Fern Park, Estacada, Oregon
Tour Guide: Bruce G. Marcot, Ph.D. / Research Wildlife Biologist, USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station
International Fellows: Jeen Bunnik (Netherlands), Meei-ru Jeng (Taiwan), Xuejiao Li (China), Thammarat Mettanurak (Thailand), Tuan Manh Phan (Vietnam)
WFI Staff: Shadia Duery / International Fellowship Manager, Vivian Bui / Professional Programs Coordinator

This study tour showcased a small patch of old-growth Douglas fir-sword fern forest on the outskirts of Portland. Eagle Fern Park is a county park in Clackamas County, Oregon.

Five percent of old-growth forests, defined as forests at least 120 years old, in the Pacific Northwest have been preserved thanks to the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). The NWFP has five major goals:

1. Never forget human and economic dimensions of the issues;
2. Protect the long-term health of forests, wildlife, and waterways;
3. Focus on scientifically sound, ecologically credible, and legally responsible strategies and implementation;
4. Produce a predictable and sustainable level of timber sales and nontimber resources; and
5. Ensure that federal agencies work together. 

Topics we discussed included:

• How to manage second-growth forests to become old-growth, including thinning practices to create a multilayered canopy, longer rotation periods, and the retention of snags for wildlife habitat and nutrient cycling
• The role of salmon as indicator species of water quality and prey availability in streams and rivers
• Climate change and a changing fire regime, specifically the shift from intermittent, moderate-intensity fires to frequent, high-intensity, stand-replacing fires
• The importance of nurse stumps and logs in nutrient cycling and the formation of new forest soil

Finally, we identified plants typical of an old-growth forest ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest, such as: