Here in the Tualatin Valley, we spend tens of millions of dollars to protect and improve fisheries and water quality, for all the obvious reasons. Even the hard-core right-wingers will acknowledge that we need good water, and the MAHA movement is all about it. So with everyone actually on the same page, and tens of … Read more
Finally, burning is catching on around here, at least in a tiny, tentative way. My old burn boss Warren Villa and I put together the first burns on Metro property back in the late ’90’s, but from then until the last few years, it’s been hard to get anyone interested. This despite the damage done … Read more
Check out this article to learn what we know about some aspects of the environmental and crop effects of glyphosate: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6918143 The upshot of the above journal review is simply that we don’t know much. The other takeaway is that there are, in spite of the general understanding of glyphosate in the ag world, some … Read more
Hi Folks, Sorry for the long delay in posting. Between running a tractor, cutting up thousands of willows and cottonwood stakes and trying to sell a few plants, I’ve been busy. But I never stop thinking about this stuff, and I am grateful to have so many opportunities to see plant diversity and evolution in … Read more
Hi Folks I’ve made the case that we are, indeed, doing it right here at Scholls Valley, and this is as true of vine maple as anything else. We collect from hundreds of low-elevation vine maple, so our seedlings exhibit a wide range of characteristics and therefore are as adapted to the rigors of hot, … Read more
Walnut was one of the staples of the pioneer family, along with black locust and apples. Apples provided reliable food and beverage, while walnut and locust both served needs for durable fenceposts, tool handles and various wooden implements. You’ll find these old pioneer trees as evidence of abandoned homesteads all around the Willamette Valley, and … Read more
Hi Folks It’s been a busy time. We’ve been prepping fields, collecting acorns (and WALNUTS! – more on this soon), and generally trying to navigate the day-to-day at the farm. At the same time, we are also attempting to move the needle on big-picture issues that affect the long-term trajectory of this industry, which is … Read more
So as I mentioned earlier, ( https://schollsvalley.com/notes-from-the-farm-21-september-2025-climate-adapted-willows/ ), willows are absolutely essential to ecosystem functions in the Willamette Valley, and are especially vital for healthy wetlands and streams. They are also taxonomically and ecologically complex. The selective forces that maintain the identities of various willow populations (“species”) are subtle, and barriers to hybridization among them … Read more
Of all our current native Willamette Valley trees, Garry oak (Quercus garryana) is your best bet to thrive in today’s hotter, drier summers. Here is a comparison of tree conditions of eight important Willamette Valley tree species: The upper row of graphs shows the distribution of tree health scores by species of hundreds of trees … Read more
At this specific point in time, here in the Willamette valley, there is no more important group of plants than the willows. Here’s why: Beaver + willows + sad, warm little ditches = 1000 X more water + fish + better water quality It really is that simple. We will never achieve our water quality … Read more