Outstanding Tree Farmers –2006

The 50 year story of the Kintigh’s Mountain Home Ranch began in 1956 when Bob and Margaret purchased an initial 160 acres that included open fields, brush and stump land plus many acres of 15-year-old natural Douglas fir stands. Today, the Kintighs manage 249 acres of productive forestland. The production of Christmas trees and nursery stock served as the main source of family income for many years.

Bob has dedicated his life to forestry with a desire to leave his property more productive than when he first began. With a management plan and goals set for the future, the Kintigh Family Limited Partnership will continue sustainable forestry for generations to come.

Wildlife management is an integral part of the Kintigh’s plans for their forestland. They set aside an area along a creek in 1957 as a riparian zone. Ponds constructed many years ago are frequented by herons, Canadian geese and wild ducks. Numerous birdhouses around the property are home to swallows and a variety of song birds. This year, some of the large “legacy trees” became the home to a pair of eagles who raised two young eaglets.

Their forestry efforts include a thriving nursery and Christmas tree business. Additionally, their property incudes an arboretum of more than 30 kinds of firs and a rhododendron garden with more than 700 kinds of rhododendrons and azaleas.

Bob served 12 years as an Oregon State Senator, becoming the first and only forester to serve in the Oregon Senate. He was chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and Vice Chairman of Water Resources Committee. During his last session he was unanimously elected Presidenet Pro Tempore. He also served in various leadership positions with the Society of American Foresters and the Oregon Small Woodlands Association.