The three Whitewater tree farms are managed as a single entity. Their management strategy supports a 50-to-60-year rotation complemented by commercial thinning to remove inferior stems and encourage the growth of premium quality sawmill and veneer logs.

Gail and Gordon are both strong advocates for family-owned forests at the local and state level. “Our family is proud of our efforts to manage for healthy forests, recreation, wildlife, and clean water,” they said. “We take every opportunity to share what we do and learn what others have done to protect and care for their forest. We each have different objectives but have much to learn from others. Tree Farm membership and participation offers that unique forum.”

Salmon and steelhead trout populate three streams, including the headwaters of Wildcat Creek, a 16-mile tributary of the Siuslaw River, making erosion control and buffering a priority, especially during harvests. Surplus shade and down logs aid aquatic health while supporting economic harvests. Large woody debris and snags are left on-site to support the abundant wildlife, including black-tail deer, Roosevelt elk, black bear, coyote, bobcat, and the songbirds Gail and Gordon particularly enjoy.

Gail and Gordon have documented the history of their tree farm back to around 1880. You can still find remnants of the springboard stumps that early loggers cut by hand. In their downtime, the family relaxes around the historic Phillipps house, near an old sawmill site, and along their extensive trail system.

The Culbertsons take the long view as Tree Farmers. Their goal is to leave a positive cultural, economic, and environmental legacy that will last for generations.

America’s family forests are vital for clean water and air, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies. The American Tree Farm System, the American Forest Foundation’s signature program, is the country’s largest sustainable woodland program, with a network of more than 70,000 family forest owners managing 19 million acres of forestland.