Earlier this spring, the Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA) co-hosted a tree planting event with Weyerhaeuser at Rocky Point, just outside of Portland. Around 30 people gathered on a beautiful Saturday morning to celebrate the completion of some trail work, learn how to plant trees, and get an overall education in forest ecology from Steve Keniston, NW Oregon area manager for Weyerhaeuser.
Rocky point is part of a working forest that Weyerhaeuser manages for sustainable timber production, and NWTA holds a recreational lease for the area. In anticipation of future forestry activities, we always coordinate closely with Weyerhaeuser on our plans to build and maintain mountain bike trails in the area. For instance, we often design and plan trails to be built in the short window of time after harvest and before replanting — usually in the six to 12 months before seedlings are in the ground. In spring and fall of 2021, NWTA was actively building trails during that window of time at Rocky Point, and was excited for the opportunity to help replant and join in the process of regenerating the forest for the next generation.
NWTA and its members are excited to actively participate in the sustainable use and management of the Rocky Point property. Our collaboration with Weyerhaeuser is an excellent example of an integrated resource and recreation management system that maximizes use of the land for multiple purposes!