Annual Meeting Set for AprilL 14th, 2012

The 2012 Oregon Woodland Cooperative will take place on April 14th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kinton Grange. Join in with other Co-op members in a “hands-on” round-robin of Co-op product “learnin’ and doin’”. You’ll get a chance to make a value-added firewood bundle, an aromatic smudge, essential oil products, and floral greens – and see if you want to become a “Co-op Producer” of a product!

Of course we will also enjoy a fine potluck meal - as we always do - hear about the tremendous progress the Co-op is making, elect some new Board members, and just generally enjoy visiting with other members and guests. The main entree (ham or other meat) will be provided.

The meeting will be at the Kinton Grange, 19015 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Beaverton (5 miles west of the Washington Square Mall)  (www.kintongrange.org). The meeting will begin at 9 a.m., and include a potluck lunch.  The Co-op welcomes anyone who is interested to come and learn more about the opportunities available through cooperative action.

Notes from Neil Schroeder, President:

Since I first became aware of the OWC back in 1981 I’ve felt there is only one basic criteria for membership and therefore for the existence of the Board of Directors. As a group we must find ways to increase the income of the small woodland owner. I want to share our present efforts and ideas.

The firewood business continues at a rate that amazes me. We are selling an average of 150-200 bundles per week even during this 80 degree weather. Our bundles are cleaner, tighter and more attractive than anything else I have seen on the market. Two more members have indicated they will be supplying bundles for us by Fall. Buyers seem to want our wood even though it might be more expensive than the competition. One of the New Seasons Grocery stores has decided to carry our wood exclusively. The relationships we are developing with this store chain is paying great dividends. One of the grocery managers came out to the Tree Farmer of the Year function at the Terry and Jan Howell farm just last week. New markets that look very promising are apartment complexes and condominiums.

Our experiments with the Essential Oil markets are showing great promise. No other competitor is producing conifer oils exclusively and they are not marketing products made from these oils. July 26th we set up a booth at the Hillsboro Tuesday Marketplace and sold hand lotions, air fresheners, pure essential oils and firewood. Considerable interest was developed and we expect to sell more at the next Tuesday market. By selling our experimental products at outdoor markets, we think we will find out just what the best product line is. Our plans are to market online and then to high-end stores such as New Seasons or Whole Foods stores.

I am working on some tours for members for the Fall. Two of our bough customers have suggested that we ask them to lead a group into the woods with the purpose of telling us just what they will buy for their florist shops. When that date and place are secure, I will notify all members. If you would like to help me set this up for your immediate area, please send me an email or call.

Speaking of Tours, our New Seasons contacts assure us we could be charging their customers at least $30 per person to come to a tree farm for a “Walk in the Woods”. One of the stores allowed us to interview customers and ask them if they would want to do this. They are particularly interested in the story of how forests protect our environment. The Clean Water, Clean Air, Carbon story is getting out to the public and folks really do want to enjoy the forest on a personal basis. We envision a tour of up to 25 people spending from 3 hours to most of a day touring one or two farms. Again, if you would like to be a part of this concept, please let me know.

We are working on edibles and medicinals. Some of the discussion is about agro-forestry or growing edibles for market in your forest. Oregon Grape may be one of those medicinal products. Certainly the interest in truffles is increasing. I met a truffle dog in training at the Howell party.

All of these activities take a great amount of time and commitment. I am grateful to all of you who have given of your time and often your equipment to help us get started on these projects. I look forward to the time when each member can say they have realized an economic gain from participating in an OWC activity or project.

Product Team Reports

Firewood: Leader Lynn Baker/Neil Schroedereil

Firewood sales this past heating season have again topped previous years – as described in Neil’s Notes – we are even tapping into the summer market (likely for camping use and special home events where a wood fire adds atmosphere). 7953 bundles of firewood, and 1274 bundles of kindling, have been sold since October, 2010 for a return of $35,524 in sales. The total sales amount to 53 cords of roundwood. The addition of kindling to the firewood offerings this year has been well received in the market. 3.5 cords of bulk firewood have also been sold, for a return of $800. 8 members have been contributing to the project. Next year we hope to do even better, but we need members to locate, season, store, cut, split, bundle, and deliver to meet the increasing demand! Contact Neil if you are interested in participating.

Essential Oils: Leader Julia Tibb

The Co-op is continuing to test the suitability of different species of trees and shrubs for making essential oil products such as lotions, air fresheners, and soaps. We are also test marketing these products at events such as the Oregon Small Woodlands Annual Meeting and farmers markets. We anticipate placing these products in retail stores as well, particularly those stores that either have “aroma” departments, or specialize primarily in aromatherapy products. The primary sales goal, however, is the internet market (“e-tailing”).

Special Milling/Crafts: Leade Susan Curington/Les Dougherty

The Co-op’s partner, North Woods Figured Woods (owned by members Susan and Les), has been busy producing and marketing figured wood products across the country. With Co-op help, a national survey was conducted with over 300 wood turner organizations, resulting in over 150 responses. Sample products (turning blanks) were provided to 80 respondents, which is beginning to generate orders for turning blanks. Les “took the show on the road”, with an exhibit at the National Wood Turners Association in Minnesota. Les reported a lot of interest in their product.

A survey form was sent to members earlier this summer to determine interest in participating in the project. 15 completed survey forms were returned. Les and Mike Barnes have visited three member properties so far as a result. Also, several members have inquired about participating in this project. One member has provided logs and partially processed wood for Les to market. Additional members are needed. If you have maple, madrone or other woods suitable for turning, contact Les (503-357-4844) for a visit to assess the potential you have on your forest. Lessons learned so far: 1) Not all maple, madrone or other wood has equal value for turning, and 2) The value of finished turning products can be very high, since “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. However, there is a chain of labor intensive operations that must be performed before a given piece of “raw” figured wood becomes marketable. Those providing wood can get very good prices for their figured wood, but the standard for price comparison should be the alternative value of the wood, which may be only pulp or sawlog.

Floral greenery: Leader: Miles Merwin/Neil Schroeder

OWC members are looking ahead to another season of selling fresh conifers boughs in November and December. We'll sell boughs from Noble fir, Western white pine, Western redcedar, Incense cedar, Port Orford cedar, Arborvitae, Ponderosa pine and possibly other species. OWC members are invited to participate in our bough program. There are several ways to get involved: 1) You are growing one or more of the desired species on your land, 2) you help with harvesting, initial processing and transporting the material, and/or 3) you help with the final processing, bagging and delivery of the finished product. We are in the process of contacting a Florist owner/operator with the intention of conducting a tour of a member's woodland. The Florist has considerable knowledge of plants growing in the woods and would conduct the tour with the purpose of teaching landowners what he would sell in his shop. All members would be welcome to attend. My concept is to train all of us in the same manner as we train members to bundle firewood. If you are interested in providing boughs this fall, please contact one of the bough project leaders by early October: Neil Schroeder, neilschroeder11@gmail.com, 503-628-2344; or Miles Merwin, mlmerwin@gmail.com, 503-621-9867.

Edible Foods: Leader (Looking for someone – interested?)

A test run last spring with a truffle dog on 4 members’ properties yielded mixed results, primarily due to the lateness of the test at lower altitudes. However, some truffles were found, along with “truffle remains” – the decaying remains of truffles. The spring hunt was a good learning experience, and another truffle dog hunt this fall – during the prime truffle season – is being planned. Eric Jones, member and leader of the Institute for Culture and Ecology, is assisting with this project. He has prepared a “primer” on truffles that is helpful to members considering truffle production. A copy is enclosed with this newsletter. If you are interested in participating in the fall truffle hunt, contact Tom Nygren (tnygren@juno.com, 503-628-5472). We will include as many properties as feasible with the time, money, and scheduling available.

Medicinal Plants: Leader: Amy Grotta

Another test of the berberine chemical properties and distribution of the chemical in the plants has been completed by a North Carolina laboratory that specializes in such tests. The samples analyzed were from a spring collection; another test is being planned for samples to be collected this fall. Results so far indicate that the low variety of Oregon grape, Mahonia nervosa, produces significant amounts of berberine (current markets much prefer the tall variety, Mahonia aquifolium). As expected, the roots contain the highest concentration, but the stems also show significant amounts. The fall test will tell us if fall collection is significantly better than spring collection.

Timber: Leader: (Looking for a someone – interested?)

The Co-op offers quality timber management and marketing services through our service provider agreements. Though members have not been aggressively harvesting and marketing timber during the recent economic downturn (related to the housing slump), the situation has changed this year with the increase in export markets. There is reason for optimism that the upward trend in log prices will be maintained or increased over the next few years. Timber is still the opportunity most likely to provide significant income to Co-op members. If you foresee timber harvest, or would like to assess the opportunity on your forest, one of the three Co-op Service Providers listed on the last page of the newsletter can help you.