Gary Springer, an integral part of Starker Forests from early 2003 to his retirement in fall of 2019, has left his mark upon earth with healthier forests and heartier friendships.

The late Barte Starker knew Gary would be great addition to the Starker Forests team because of his commitment to sound forestry practices and his knowledge about Oregon forest policy.

In recent years, many people remember Gary for always volunteering to drive the “Starker bus” for forestry field trips for both forestry groups and the public.

We at Starker Forests, Inc. will greatly miss Gary’s frequent visits, in spite of his being “retired.”

Starker Forests has granted funding to 15 nonprofit organizations in Lane, Linn, Lincoln Benton and Polk counties. Separate from the Starker Philanthropy charitable program, and staff-driven, this was the first time Starker Forests made this application-based grant funding opportunity available to 501 (c)(3) groups that invest in arts and culture, youth, basic needs, science, education and the environment. Realizing that COVID-19 has exacerbated the need for basic items such as food and shelter, we were excited to offer this opportunity to our local communities. 

One recipient was Business for Excellence in Youth, located in northern Lincoln County and serving the communities of Otis, Lincoln City and Depoe Bay.  The grant will help their program simply, effectively, and discreetly provide food to school-age children. 

The Corvallis Lions Club received a grant to help provide vision assistance. Adult & Teen Challenge, located in Linn County, operates a residential recovery program for those struggling with life controlling issues. Their grant will help them replace several small refrigerators with a new industrial cooler needed for food storage.

We are pleased to be able to support organizations that serve a range of populations near communities where we own forestlands. 

Starker Forests is excited to announce a funding opportunity for 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organizations that invest in arts and culture, youth, basic needs, science, education and the environment. We invite organizations within Benton, Lincoln, Polk and Linn counties to apply for a grant by Dec. 11, 2020.  The application is available for download: 2020 Starker Grant Form. Feel free to share this opportunity with organizations that may wish to apply! Contact Rebecca Aranda at 541-929-2477 or email rebecca@starkerforests.com for more information.

More than 70,000 acres of Starker Forests’ land are available for hunting and recreation in Linn, Benton, Polk, Lane and Lincoln counties. Our lands are great for hiking, hunting, fishing, cycling and nature lovers. We issue access permits for all our property open to the public. In return, we ask that you respect the land and follow our regulations. No ATVs or motorcycles are allowed in our tree farms. Please drive only on logging roads.

Gary Blanchard of Starker Forests has been presented the Oregon Society of American Foresters’ Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented to persons to recognize their lifetime contribution to SAF and lifetime achievement in the forestry profession by an OSAF member.

Blanchard has worked for Starker Forests for nearly 59 years.  Although semi-retired, he still comes into the office an hour or so every day as he works on two projects: 1) a book to document the history of the company’s lands, and 2) conducting video interviews of people who have been integral to the growth and success of the company.

Blanchard grew up in the small town of Mosier, Oregon, at the east end of the Columbia River Gorge. He went to college at Oregon State University, graduating in 1961 with a BS degree in Forest Management.

Blanchard worked for Starker Forests while in college. Upon his graduation, and with his wife pregnant with their first child, Blanchard was given a permanent position by TJ Starker and Bruce Starker, the first two generations of Starker Forests’ owners. He was the first non-family employee of Starker Forests. When Bruce died in an airplane accident in 1975, Blanchard became the company’s chief forester, a position he held until he “retired” at the age of 70 in 2009. Until 1972, he was the company’s only employee. Since then, another dozen or so foresters have come on board.

For all new Starker foresters, Blanchard has been a mentor. When Bruce Starker died, TJ Starker had given up his active role in the management of the company.  The leadership of the company fell to Bond and Barte Starker, the third generation of Starker Forests’ owners – both still in their 20s.  Blanchard’s leadership at the time was crucial in helping Bond and Barte successfully take on their roles as the company’s owners and managers.

Under Blanchard’s guidance, thousands of acres of Coast Range forests have been converted from underproductive brush lands into highly productive conifer forests. Many of those forests have now reached the age where they are being commercially thinned for the first time.

Blanchard was especially valuable to the company when it came to neighbor relations. He frequently stopped for lunch at small, rural cafes where he became acquainted with a lot of neighbors. In addition, he served on watershed councils.  These outreach efforts created good will with neighbors that continues to this day.

Blanchard has been a strong supporter of the Oregon Tree Farm System. For many years, he worked with a tree farm committee to choose the recipient of the state’s Tree Farmer of the Year. He also inspected and certified/re-certified several tree farms.

A mentor to every one of the company’s foresters, Blanchard encouraged them all to become active members of SAF.

To that end:

• Gary (2003), Mark Gourley, Marc Vomocil, and Jennifer Beathe have all received SAF’s Presidential Field Forester Award
• Gary (1988), Dick Powell, Marc Vomocil, and Gary Springer have been honored as SAF Fellows
• Gary (1987), Bond Starker, Barte Starker, and Dick Powell were selected as OSAF Forester of the Year
• Gary (1981), Marc Vomocil, and Dick Powell were elected as OSAF chairs
• Gary (late 1970s), Randy Hereford, Marc Vomocil, Dick Powell, and Jennifer Beathe served as Mary’s Peak Chapter chairs
• Dick Powell was given SAF’s Outstanding Communicator Award
• Gary Springer and Mark Gourley (twice) were selected as recipients of OSAF’s Tough Tree Award

These awards and service to SAF culminated in Starker Forests receiving OSAF’s inaugural Heritage Award in 2016 and earned the company the national SAF Employer Support Award later that same year.

In addition to SAF leadership roles mentioned above, Blanchard served as the general chair when the Mary’s Peak Chapter hosted OSAF’s annual meeting in 2010. In 1992, he helped develop the OR Forest Industries Council’s Stream Classification and Protection System proposal. Then, in 2004, the dean asked him to serve on the OSU College of Forestry’s McDonald-Dunn Planning Team and where he helped develop the long-term management plan for the University’s forests.

Bob Alverts, Jim Rombach, and George Brown each submitted letters of support for Gary.

Nicole Wallace is the new chief financial officer at Starker Forests, Inc. in Corvallis.

Wallace graduated Oregon State University after earning a degree in accounting and has worked as a certified public accountant in public accounting until moving into the private business sector.

She came to Starker in October from Kernutt Stokes.

Wallace replaces Steve Wyatt, who retired in April after 33 years with Starker.

We are gearing up for one of our most fun events of the year, Tree Planting Day. This year, Tree Planting Day is scheduled for February 29th. The trees that grow in western Oregon are dormant in the the winter and that makes this time of year perfect for planting seedlings. At Starker Forests, we plant nearly 500,000 seedlings each year. Tree Planting Day was established in the early 1990’s to offer young Scouts the opportunity to plant seedlings and earn a merit badge. The event is open for registration to boy scouts, cub scouts, girl scouts and brownies and other friends of Starker Forests.

Each participant is given ten trees to plant. We have helper tree planting instructors from the Philomath High School Forestry Class. Groups of tree planters will be paired with a high school student “professional” tree planter. The species of trees are mixed but the most popular is the Douglas fir, Oregon’s state tree. Douglas fir grows well in western Oregon and is a preferred species for structural lumber and wood frame building. We also plant other species, such as western hemlock, grand fir, western red cedar and spruce.

To make sure we have a really fun event, our friends from Boys Scout Troop 2 in Corvallis build a “kitchen” where they prepare hot chocolate and hot dogs. After planting their seedlings, tree planters can come to the kitchen to enjoy a warm drink and some food. Finally, participants can stop at our t-shirt table to pick up a Tree Planting Day t-shirt.

We cross our fingers for good weather, but we remember that real tree planters plant trees in all kinds of weather, including rain. After this day, everyone can agree that they are real tree planters now.

Have you wondered how private forests in western Oregon are managed to provide timber, wildlife habitat, recreation and clean air and water? Join us for a free, guided forest tour! The 2019 Starker Forests Summer Tours begin on Wednesday, July 3rd. Each Wednesday in July and August, we will host a tour to the forests of the Oregon Coast Range. Additional Georgia Pacific Sawmill Tours are on July 10th and 24th and August 7th and 21st. For more information and to sign up go to: www.visitcorvallis.com/articles/2019-starker-forest-tours.