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Bob Young has retired after many years as a state forester, concentrating on serving owners of small woodland tracts.
After 32 years of working with small woodlands owners and a few days into retirement, Bob Young insists his career was always more about people than trees.
The attentiveness Young gave to both is sometimes marveled at by landowners in surprising situations. On a recent flight to Boise, Young’s wife, Kathy, found herself the recipient of raving praise for her husband when a fellow passenger realized she was married to the Oregon Department of Forestry stewardship forester.
Apparently, Young had impressed the landowner.
“It’s not about what I want to see on their property but what they want to see,” Bob Young said.
And so for more than three decades, Young would listen to the 10-year vision of a rancher wanting to convert pasture back to a woodland. He’d hear out the concerns of a landowner distressed about ruining wildlife habitat, but ready to harvest a stand of trees. He’d gauge the landowners’ priorities.
“You draw those out of the landowner,” he said.
And then he’d go to work, studying the soils and the climate, keeping it all in mind. The results would influence his recommendation for a landowner — whether Douglas fir or white oak is the right species to plant. And they would influence the long-term goals — a decade or two down the line — for a freshly planted patch of conifers.
“It takes a lot of time to write a stewardship plan,” he said.
Young started working with the Oregon Department of Forestry in March 1976, straight out of college. He and Kathy had never even heard of Roseburg when they decided to embark from Washington State University and their home state for Douglas County.
The Youngs first moved to Elkton, where rancher John Beckley warmly introduced them to the community. They now live near Oakland and have four grown children.
At first Young’s assignment, as a service forester, was temporary. But the next year things quickly changed and the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, the Douglas County Small Woodlands Association and the Douglas County Woodlands Assistance Program were formed.
Young’s job then became permanent.
“So you had all of those things coming together to promote timber production on small woodlands,” he said. “I’ve essentially had the same job the whole time.”
At first the near nonexistence of tax credits was a big challenge for aspiring small woodland owners. Not until the Legislature intervened did farmers consider converting their land to timber stands.
On the ground, Young has experienced years of headache trying to control the noxious weed scotch broom. “We’re not good at controlling it,” he said, because its vertical alignment makes it hard to douse while aerial spraying.
In 1987, Young began fighting fire with the ODF’s fire team. His crew helped the Douglas Forest Protective Association fight large fires and would stay on call for a full week every three weeks. The biggest blaze he helped battle was the Timber Rock Fire out of Shady Cove in 2002, the same year as the Biscuit Fire and the Tiller Complex Fire.
“We put the fire out, and we were good at it,” he said.
It’s been a week today since Young worked his last shift with the forestry department.
Besides ministry with the Oakland Church of Christ and some leadership roles with youth groups, Young and his wife’s biggest plan for the summer is to help their son, Andrew Young, move to Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he will play football and possibly take a class from his older brother, a chemistry professor.
“I intend to stay involved with the small woodlands association,” Young said, but after that, “We’ll see where God takes us.”
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@nrtoday.com.
The attentiveness Young gave to both is sometimes marveled at by landowners in surprising situations. On a recent flight to Boise, Young’s wife, Kathy, found herself the recipient of raving praise for her husband when a fellow passenger realized she was married to the Oregon Department of Forestry stewardship forester.
Apparently, Young had impressed the landowner.
“It’s not about what I want to see on their property but what they want to see,” Bob Young said.
And so for more than three decades, Young would listen to the 10-year vision of a rancher wanting to convert pasture back to a woodland. He’d hear out the concerns of a landowner distressed about ruining wildlife habitat, but ready to harvest a stand of trees. He’d gauge the landowners’ priorities.
“You draw those out of the landowner,” he said.
And then he’d go to work, studying the soils and the climate, keeping it all in mind. The results would influence his recommendation for a landowner — whether Douglas fir or white oak is the right species to plant. And they would influence the long-term goals — a decade or two down the line — for a freshly planted patch of conifers.
“It takes a lot of time to write a stewardship plan,” he said.
Young started working with the Oregon Department of Forestry in March 1976, straight out of college. He and Kathy had never even heard of Roseburg when they decided to embark from Washington State University and their home state for Douglas County.
The Youngs first moved to Elkton, where rancher John Beckley warmly introduced them to the community. They now live near Oakland and have four grown children.
At first Young’s assignment, as a service forester, was temporary. But the next year things quickly changed and the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, the Douglas County Small Woodlands Association and the Douglas County Woodlands Assistance Program were formed.
Young’s job then became permanent.
“So you had all of those things coming together to promote timber production on small woodlands,” he said. “I’ve essentially had the same job the whole time.”
At first the near nonexistence of tax credits was a big challenge for aspiring small woodland owners. Not until the Legislature intervened did farmers consider converting their land to timber stands.
On the ground, Young has experienced years of headache trying to control the noxious weed scotch broom. “We’re not good at controlling it,” he said, because its vertical alignment makes it hard to douse while aerial spraying.
In 1987, Young began fighting fire with the ODF’s fire team. His crew helped the Douglas Forest Protective Association fight large fires and would stay on call for a full week every three weeks. The biggest blaze he helped battle was the Timber Rock Fire out of Shady Cove in 2002, the same year as the Biscuit Fire and the Tiller Complex Fire.
“We put the fire out, and we were good at it,” he said.
It’s been a week today since Young worked his last shift with the forestry department.
Besides ministry with the Oakland Church of Christ and some leadership roles with youth groups, Young and his wife’s biggest plan for the summer is to help their son, Andrew Young, move to Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he will play football and possibly take a class from his older brother, a chemistry professor.
“I intend to stay involved with the small woodlands association,” Young said, but after that, “We’ll see where God takes us.”
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@nrtoday.com.
