Brooks Tree Farm Tour

Kathy LeCompte, owner of the Brooks Tree Farm, shows a plug seedling in one of their greenhouses. Each greenhouse can hold roughly 100,000 seedlings.

Brooks Tree Farm Tour

The tour began by meeting with Kathy LeCompte, owner of the Brooks Tree Farm, in the main office just a few miles north of Salem.

Kathy holds a coast redwood seedling that would have been germinated from seed earlier this year.

Brooks Tree Farm Tour

Hosted by the Marion-Polk Chapter of OSWA on November 23, 2024.

Introduction

On November 23, 2024, twelve members of the Marion-Polk Chapter of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association (OSWA) gathered at Brooks Tree Farm for an educational tour. The farm, established in 1980 by Kathy and Dave LeCompte, specializes in conifer seedlings and native shrubs, producing approximately 7 million trees annually. The Brooks Tree Farm sells seedlings wholesale, and many OSWA members have bought seedlings from them.

Kathy greeted the group warmly. "Welcome to Brooks Tree Farm," she said. "I'm excited to share our practices and experiences with you today."

Starting the Journey: Challenges with Coast Redwood

As the tour began, Kathy discussed their history with growing Coast Redwood. "We started growing Coast Redwood at the beginning of our time here," she explained. "Back in 1980, we did everything in the field. Coast Redwood did not grow well there—it froze out every single year."

She continued, "I couldn't stand having disappointed customers wanting what we couldn't produce, so we gave it up for a while. But when we started putting up greenhouses, we realized we could protect them through that first winter. Then we'd plant them in the spring, give them a summer under their belts, and maybe they could get through the first winter after they were established in the forest. That's working a little bit better."

Greenhouse Cultivation and Seed Selection

Kathy elaborated on their approach to mitigating cold problems. "I usually ask for high-elevation seed from the seed picker," she said. "I try to get a couple of seed lots if I can, in case we have trouble with one."

A participant asked about the cost of Coast Redwood seeds. Kathy replied, "They have tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of seeds per pound. I know Douglas-fir seeds run about 45,000 to 50,000 seeds per pound, and Western Hemlock is around 600,000 seeds per pound. I think Coast Redwood is somewhere between those two."

She added, "The USDA handbook for seed-producing plants is free online. We call it 'Woody's' because we could never remember the right name."

Kathy LeCompte discusses how trays of seeds are separated and sorted.

Kathy LeCompte demonstrates how dimples are put in seedling blocks prior to dropping seeds onto each hole.

This workstation uses a vacuum system to help drop seeds onto the correct locations on trays.

Brooks Tree Farm Tour (continued)

Seeding Process and Equipment

Inside the greenhouse, Kathy showcased the seeding equipment. "We use Styrofoam blocks filled with potting soil," she explained. "We usually put two or three seeds in each cell, sometimes as many as six if the seed isn't very good."

She held up a tray. "When it grows, the roots fill out. When you slide it out, you get a molded little plug like a cigar."

A member asked, "Is the plug just bare root?"

"No," Kathy responded. "It's got the potting soil in there. The plugs come out of the Styrofoam block."

Planting Techniques and Soil Considerations

Terry Lamers described how he uses a battery-powered drill with a long 2" drill to rapidly make holes for planting the plugs. He said this has two advantages: it is twice as fast compared to using a shovel, and it guarantees the roots will be planted perfectly straight up-and-down.

Kathy cautioned about how such a small drill might create a hole with hard sides if the soil is heavy or full of clay. "When you're starting new land, like in a converted pasture, you need to make a fairly big hole for the roots to transition from the plug to the native soil," she advised. "If they bump into hard native soil and don't want to make that transition, they'll just stay there. Eventually, that will dry out, and the tree will die."

She noted, "In a forest where you've got loose soil to start with, you can kind of dig with your hand if you want to."

Water Management and Survival Strategies

The group gathered around as Kathy introduced a product to improve seedling survival. "There are products—gels—that you can mix up, dip your trees in, and then plant," she said. "They hold water, and that's all. The gels just hold water and release it when it's dry."

She mentioned, "If you decide to use this stuff, mix it at least an hour before you want to use it—maybe even the night before. Be sure to keep it out of your eyes or any cuts; they'll suck the moisture right out of your body."

Kathy showed them a product called Hortasorb. "It's a powder," she explained. "We carry a couple of them. The one we have at the moment is called Hortasorb."

Horta-Sorb® water management gel polymers are superabsorbent substances that can absorb hundreds of times their weight in water, with nearly all of the absorbed water being available to plants. Incorporating Horta-Sorb into the root zone of seedlings increases survival by by providing a consistent water supply directly to the roots.

Kathy explained that paper plates make great Soil Shields to protect seedlings in the first year. These plates have a center hole and slot so they fit around the seedling's stem. The plates protect the soil from harsh sunlight, which keeps the soil from getting too dry, and they keep grasses from growing right next to the seedling. Her customers have reported substantially higher survival rates from using this simple trick. This link leads to more information about using Soil Shields.

This YouTube video shows how trays full of seedings arrive in Styrofoam blocks, are removed automatically onto conveyor belts, are sorted and placed into stacks of ten seedlings each, bundles with clear plastic, and placed into boxes.

Brooks Tree Farm Tour (continued)

Innovative Practices: Paper Plate Seedling Protectors

Kathy shared an innovative tip from one of her customers. "He needed to grow Noble fir on his Christmas tree farm and started using paper plates," she said. "He drills a hole, slices it with a saw, and slides it around the tree."

She continued, "It shades the root zone, traps any water that's below it, and if any new water comes, it runs down the hole. It chokes out the weeds and even kept the mice from chewing on the trees because they don't like to feed out in the open."

A participant asked about anchoring the plates. Kathy replied, "If you decide to do this, throw a little shovel full of soil on top to anchor it or throw a stick on it."

Wildlife Challenges

The discussion turned to wildlife. Kathy said, "We have trouble with deer and elk. Deer repellents can help, but effectiveness varies. Elk are big and clumsy; they'll mostly step on them or play with them. They don't really eat the trees."

She added, "One of our customers planted filberts, and the elk destroyed them twice. So they planted Christmas trees instead."

Resilience of Coast Redwoods

Terry Lamers highlighted the advantages of Coast Redwoods. "We planted about 20,000 Redwood," he said. "We find less mortality on Redwood by far, and the growth is—we believe we're getting twice the growth rate of volume per acre per year compared to Douglas-fir."

He shared an observation: "During the ice storm a few years ago, we've never had a Coast Redwood uproot. Thousands of Douglas-firs uprooted. Some of the Coast Redwoods got bent over; we cut them off, and now some of those sprouts are over 20 feet tall."

Sorting, Grading, and Packing Seedlings

The tour moved to the processing area. Kathy explained, "We date all of our packaging. It will have the species, the count, pack date, and the person and packing line that did it."

She pointed out the trays. "We sterilize our Styrofoam trays to prevent root rot," she said. "We get about seven to ten years out of a tray if we take care of it."

A member asked about the cost of the trays. Kathy answered, "Brand new ones are about $7 each."

Equipment and Innovation

Kathy shared stories about their equipment. "In the beginning, [my husband] Dave and one of his partners would walk at the same speed using a lawn spreader to plant the seed," she recalled. "All of our equipment is customized."

Industry Practices and Openness

A participant asked, "Do you have similar tours of different nurseries to talk about how you work back and forth?"

Kathy replied, "We're very, very open. We go to each other's places to see it. We share a lot. We don't have very many secrets."

She added, "Not everybody shares everything, but we do share a lot."

Seed Sources and Genetic Improvements

The conversation turned to seed sourcing. Kathy stated, "Almost 100% of the Douglas-fir seedlings that we plant are genetically improved."

She explained, "There are very good seed sources in the Puget Sound area and British Columbia used for Christmas trees. As long as we don't get too crazy with the elevation, we can use seed lots from the Puget Sound, the north Oregon coast, and the north Willamette Valley."

Challenges with Disease and Regulations

Kathy discussed the challenges with disease. "We fumigate our fields," she said. "We can't use chemicals out there because it will damage the trees."

Regarding regulations, she mentioned, "We use Methyl Bromide for fumigation. It's heavily regulated due to environmental concerns. We have to have buffers between us and our neighbors, and crews have to be trained and wear gas masks."

Participant Experiences and Appreciation

One of the members, Dave Sullivan, shared his experience. "In 1990, I came here and bought about 50,000 seedlings," he said. "I planted them, and I've got a picture of me next to a Douglas-fir tree that's like this," he gestured widely. "You have a very happy customer here today."

Kathy smiled. "I seem to remember you being here," she said.

Dave continued, "It's been super for me. I consider them to sort of be like lottery tickets -- you don't know which ones will grow into merchantable trees."

Another participant added, "We all appreciate it. There's so much more to it than we know about, so you've enlightened us."

Closing Thoughts

As the tour concluded, Kathy thanked everyone. "I hope you've found this informative," she said. "Feel free to reach out if you have any questions."

A member replied, "Thank you for arranging this. It's been a super demonstration."

Additional Resources

Brooks Tree Farm Website: The Brooks Tree Farm Website is filled with useful information including seedling availability and ordering procedures.
Soil Shields: Instructions for using paper plates as seedling protecttors.

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