Former Oregon Senator Earns 2005 Tree Farmer of Year

It is more than fitting that Oregon’s newly selected 2005 Tree Farmer of the Year is a man who planted his first trees at the age of ten, earned a Master of Forestry degree, has worked all his life on national and private forests, and is now passionately spreading the “forestry bug” on to others.

Bob Kintigh, a Lane County tree farmer who manages the timber owned by Kintigh Family Limited Partnership east of Springfield and south of Cottage Grove, was a bit choked up when he took center stage at the World Forestry Center in Portland on Monday, Nov. 21, to receive the noteworthy recognition by the Oregon Tree Farm System, Inc., at their annual awards luncheon. With great emotion, he stammered more than once before he could get out words of appreciation. “We have so many really good tree farmers in Oregon that are really doing a great job, said Kintigh. “To be chosen to represent them is a great honor.”

Turning an unproductive “stump ranch,” which he purchased in 1957, into a productive piece of ground that now produces 50 loads of logs annually, fine Christmas trees and high-quality seedlings took years of work. But what Kintigh is most proud of is that he and his family have left that ground far better than when they acquired it. He doesn’t just “talk” the sustainable talk…he lives it. While doing periodic timber harvests on his land, Kintigh is genuinely concerned about how his management practices are affecting the environment and wildlife habitat. As a former Oregon State Senator from 1987-1999 and serving two terms as Chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, he’s heard substantial testimony about the impact of man’s activities on the land. Maybe that’s why he goes the extra mile to protect soil fertility and control erosion, maintain roads on his property, control aggressive non-native species, and reserve habitat for the herons, Canadian geese, wild ducks, deer, elk, quail, swallows and other wildlife that browse for food in clearcuts and Oak Savannah on his land and visit the ponds he’s constructed.

Kintigh figures he has probably harvested enough timber from his property to build approximately 500 average-size homes as well. “That production has meant that 500 families didn’t have to sleep under a bridge at night…I’m proud of my stumps,” stressed Kintigh. “And we work really hard to ensure that we are maximizing sustainable wood production without hurting the environment, wildlife habitat or water resources.”

Today, Kintigh manages the 249 acres of timber owned by Kintigh Limited Partnership, but the Christmas trees and seedling nursery parts of the business have been turned over to sons Mark and Dan, freeing up time for Kintigh to coordinate educational forestry tours on his ranch for professionals, school and civic groups and foreigners and write about natural resource issues. “We’ve had over 40 tours since 1970,” said Kintigh, “with 22 of these being in the last five years.”

Each year, local groups of Oregon Department of Forestry foresters, consulting foresters, and forestry extension agents meet with the Oregon Small Woodland’s Association chapters to select County Tree Farmer of the Year award recipients. Oregon’s State Tree Farm winner is selected from the county winners and competes in the Western Regional competition that represents 13 states. The National Tree Farmer of the Year finalist is selected from four U.S. regional winners.

Article and photos by Arlene Whalen, Oregon Dept. of Forestry