I was exploring the hills outside of a small town in Oregon called Gates. The land is used to produce lumber. These tree farms have been called “Working Forests” or “Family Forests.” I think they are being too generous by calling them forests when their actions demonstrate a disregard for any species that is not making them a profit. These are farms. Even the Forest Service, a government agency that some people believe to be protecting our public lands, is under the Department of Agriculture. The Forest Service’s main task is to facilitate the harvesting of trees by leasing public land to private timber firms.
The Douglas fir, also known as Psuedotsuga menziesii, is the favorite tree for farming in Oregon. It grows in the early stages of succession and rapidly grows in it’s first decades of life. The rotation time for harvest on a plot of land is 40-100 years. These plots are treated just like other farms, often being sprayed with biocide after a harvest to stop any competition for the Douglas Firs.
As I drove through the farmland I stopped on the side of the road to harvest the freshly sprouted needles of the Douglas Fir. I had just recently read that in spring the bright green fresh needles can be eaten like berries or steeped in water for a citrus tea. I found a sunny spot with a plethora of fresh needles at picking height. The soft needles taste like sour candy with the texture of thin rice noodles. Douglas fir is a widely abundant tree in the Pacific Northwest making the needles a convenient spring snack. I am drying the needles to add a kick of vitamin C to future tea blends.
Sources:
- “Associated Oregon Loggers, Inc.” Associated Oregon Loggers, Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2017.
- MacKinnon, A., Pojar, J., & Alaback, P. B. (2004). Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Edmonton: Lone Pine Pub.
- Deur, Douglas. Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 wild and flavorful edibles from Alaska blueberries to wild hazelnuts. Portland, Or.: Timber Press, 2014.