Kintigh's Mountain Home Ranch

01/14/2023

01/12/2023

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=InB3n_6QW2E&t=2s

11/10/2021

Kintigh’s Nursery and the Great Reset

Kintigh’s Mountain Home Ranch is a second and third generation family farm and nursery established by former senator Bob Kintigh in 1956. Bob and Margaret started the nursery with a passion for forestry and horticulture and instilled this interest in their children. Production has grown quite a bit from the humble beginnings of seedlings in recycled tin cans. Since their sons, Dan and Mark, and grandson, Quinn, have taken over, 13 greenhouses have been added and countless technological upgrades.
Bob started the farm to cultivate timber stands and propagate unique and rare conifers. Dan grew up on the property and fondly remembers when he was finally able to join his father in the stands. “I must have been around fourteen when I graduated from helping my mother with canning and helping her around the house to helping dad. He bought me my own small power saw which was a green Poulan and my job was to limb the trees after dad cut them down. I was not more than ninety pounds and cutting all those limbs was like cutting through a jungle. It was hard work, but I was in heaven because I was a logger and proud of it!” recounts Dan Kintigh.
Christmas tree fields and the nursery were added to supplement income between logging and the Kintigh’s passion proved quite successful, as recipients of the Oregon Tree Farmer of the Year in 2005 and National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year in 2006. Bob was also invited to supply the Christmas Tree for the White House in 1992. Dan, Mark, and Quinn have continued to improve upon their father and grandfather’s vision for the property. The seedling nursery now supplies over one million seedlings for reforestation and Christmas trees. Goals for the nursery have grown from just learning to grow conifers to producing the most efficient seedling for success in the woods. They now strive towards optimal root volume and nutrient density in hopes of cultivating thriving woodland and beautiful Christmas trees.
When talking to Quinn about the progress made during his lifetime on the Ranch he remarked, “When I walk the brick path to work in the morning, and see my one year old son toddling down it to go find a tractor to play on, I think about all the Kintigh’s that have gone down this same path that my grandfather made. It is our job, and responsibility to pay attention to the times. To not rest on what our fore fathers have done, but to renew and improve our way of life, and how we may be of service to others. We haven’t always known the right direction to go, but we’ve never stopped aiming upwards.” This ideology is what has brought about what they’re calling the “great reset.”
Last year with the labor crisis in full swing, Dan was considering closing the doors to the nursery all together. In addition to extreme delays within the supply chain, finding workers during the pandemic was problematic. With the help of others in the industry such as Mark Gourley of Cascade Timber and Michael Taylor of Blackmore Company he was introduced to a vast group of foresters, nutritional experts, nurserymen, and consultants that brought the Air Tray solution to his attention. “This equipment is highly automated and will keep me in business. This is a long way from my childhood when we mixed soil with a shovel and put it into the blocks by hand. In theory, I will now be able to fill the containers and sow 50,000 seedlings in a day by myself,” says Dan.
` This reset is being done by Dan and his son Quinn. This coming season they are converting the nursery to the newest seeding and growing technology available to the nursery industry, Air Trays. These are a new container model replacing old fashioned Styrofoam blocks with recyclable Air Trays full of Elle Pot plugs wrapped in biodegradable paper. Not only are these a more sustainable way to grow seedlings, but a more efficient means as well. Less disease, more abundant root structure, and labor minimization is what the Air Tray/Elle Pot system delivers. This does, however, require a remodeling of the greenhouses and a replacement of the seeding and packing operations. When speaking on the upgrades Dan said, “An unusual opportunity came for us to secure the most innovative and automated equipment in the industry. That is basically a gift from God for the most part. A small nursery like ours would not normally be able to obtain this technology, which I think will result in a superior seedling.” Studies done by OSU have shown promising results in field performance and survivability for the Air Tray system.
The fourth generation of Kintigh boys are only one year in the making, so not much help with the chores, but are enjoying growing up and playing on the farm. They will hopefully be the operators of mentioned machinery in the future. Most of Dan and Quinn’s improvements are motivated by their desire to build a better future as they strive to reforest Oregon and provide holiday cheer in the form of Christmas trees. The late Bob Kintigh said, “As tree farmers we can feel good about the fact that we are producing a commodity that provides so many benefits for people. Trees are almost universally considered a symbol of what is strong, noble, beautiful and vigorous.”

06/30/2021

This unmanaged stand has had 13 growing seasons on it. The trees had no extra care and are struggling badly with the vegetation. Most of them do not make the 20 foot mark as shown in this picture. In some areas, this stand doesn’t even have enough trees due to the brush and blackberries. A few years ago a heavy snow pulled a lot of them down and now they’re curved badly from the ground upward. This will make a real mess and low yield come harvest time. So when you look at this stand and the results, more intensive management makes sense.

06/30/2021

When I planted this stand I had the goal of producing trees 20 feet tall in five growing seasons. By year five there were a few 20 footers, but here I am at year six and most of the trees are 20 feet. There are even a good number of larger ones. To accomplish this, I bought the best genetically improved seed I could get to grow the seedlings. After planting I installed 8000 protector tubes to keep the deer from eating the trees and to ensure they did not have to share any resources. We tolerated no vegetation for the first four years. The trees were fertilized the second, third, and fourth year. Fertilizer was not applied the first year because it is too easy to burn up small trees. Some people may say this kind of intense management is more expensive and labor intensive. I say all the extra work pays off. One must consider it takes volume to make volume and that it’s easier to motivate smaller trees than larger ones. The sooner you build the wood factory, the sooner you’ll have lumber. This particular area when clear-cut yielded close to 1 million board feet. I don't think it is unreasonable to think this can be done in half the time Mother Nature did last time, but with a little assistance, care and effort. Add to the fact, I just want nice big trees back as quickly as possible. This effort will make the difference between me getting income from the property in my lifetime or not. All things considered, it's worth it.

06/08/2021

Here at Kintigh's mountain home ranch we are looking for a hard working motivated individual to add to our team.
We work outside year round rain or shine with some time spent working in our greenhouses or barn.
Work includes pruning Christmas trees, harvesting Christmas trees, planting and packaging conifer seedlings as well as other small jobs. We are located outside Springfield near Waterville but have other work sites farther up river as well.
We do not require experience with trees, but do require that you are willing to learn and pay attention.
Must be able to work well in a team as well alone.
The work ranges from very physical to somewhat physical with the work changing every season.
The job is very satisfying and rewarding.
Must have reliable transportation.
Eligible for health care and raise evaluation after 60 days

Please send us your resume and tell us why you would be a good fit for this job.
Thank you for your time
The Kintigh Family

08/06/2020

I am saving what I call salmon berry plants in the woods. It has small red berries resembling salmon eggs giving it its name. It is a none competitive plant and does well in the shade. I mark it before spraying w**ds so not to kill it. It has been tricky separating it from others things I don’t want. .I've even fertilized it from time to time and pruned up crop trees to give just right amount of light to the plants.
I have a few significant areas with a lot of it and some with it everywhere. This will provide food for small birds that are supposed to be on the decline which people are blaming on modern forestry.
I don’t share that opinion but I am doing what i can to help the birds.

By Dan Kintigh

03/31/2020

Recently I came across my father’s hard hat in my shop and it still had the toilet paper roll in a plastic bag tucked in the liner and this brought back memories. My mother used to save the last bit of the toilet paper rolls so they could be flatted to fit into the hat under the liner.

I must have been around fourteen when I graduated from helping my mother with canning and helping her around the house to helping dad. He bought me my own small power saw which was a green Poulan and my job was to limb the trees after dad cut them down. I was not more than ninety pounds and cutting all those limbs was like cutting through a jungle. It was hard work, but I was in heaven because I was a logger and proud of it! I even had the pin striped shirt with the half zipper just like what my dad wore. I asked mom to get me the red suspenders and the pants with buttons on the waist to fasten them to which she did even though I really did not need them. I used to try to carry the saw like the cutters do by placing the bar on my shoulder but only got scratched because I did not have the leather shoulder patch. I eventually learned to set choker and drive the cat in the summer. If I wasn’t trimming Christmas trees, I logged with my dad or brother Mark.

I find it sad that not all teenagers today have the opportunity to work with their fathers like we did. In the summer when I was in high school there was all kinds of jobs to do. There was washing of log trucks, helping with construction, farming, working in the mill or the shop or some kind of entry work. We learned hands on skills of producing things with your hands, where today has gone more toward technology. There isn’t anything wrong with technology, I just think that there is a kind of satisfaction of making or producing things with your hands, in essence, getting grease and dirt under your nails, getting sweaty and being a man!

Dan Kintigh

07/10/2019

Years ago when I was logging with my father, I learned that defects in the trees affect the value.
I have set out to remedy those defects in the new young forest growing here on the farm.

05/13/2019

I inherited a passion for forestry from my father and a passion for unique flowers from my mother.

When working on my reforestation and doing w**d control I noticed some very small violets. Over the past few years I’ve been careful not to spray them and even w**ded and fertilized them and now they occupy a large area.

So here’s to you mom! 🥰
Dan Kintigh

04/14/2019

Check out our new employees!