By Larry Mauter
For The New Era
In the night sky, Sirius is the brightest star. For 2024, Sirius Woods, Steve and Katie Kohl’s 42 acres near McDowell Creek Falls, will shine brightly.
The Kohls have been named Linn County Small Woodlands Association (LCSWA) tree farmers of the year.
They will host a gathering of fellow woodland owners on a September Saturday yet be determined.
The couple has actively nurtured the property for 33 years, working with Oregon Department of Forestry staffers to create wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities and maintain old-growth timber.
“Steve and Katie actively manage their tree farm for biodiversity,” said Joe Holmberg, who heads up the TFOY selection process. “Both have been very active in the Linn County Small Woodlands Association.”
The Kohls are both OSU Extension Service master woodlands managers. They have advised other forest owners on their projects for the past two decades. Steve is an associate professor emeritus in Asian languages at the University of Oregon.
Katie has been the long-time chair of the LCSWA scholarship program, and served as chapter secretary as well as the OSWA secretary. She has also worked with 4-H groups. She is a former English teacher who retired from Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis.
Firewood from the tree farm has warmed homeless shelters in Linn and Lane counties.
Steve said their property was logged during World War I. The previous owner constructed a 600 square-foot cabin that was hand built with Eastern Oregon lodgepole pines. The former owner’s dog and cat came with the property 33 years ago. Sirius is also known as the “dog star.”
Through the years, the Kohls have added a sun room and guest bedroom to the structure.
“He was looking for someone who would appreciate the woods, encourage their growth, and not clear-cut them,” Katie said of the former owner.
Their stand was part of a larger old growth area “cut now on all four sides,” Steve said.
Their property is lush with tall hemlock, Douglas-fir, grand fir, cedars and sword ferns, along with a mix of hardwoods like cascara, dogwood (appropriately), and big leaf maple in the open spaces.
They have recently planted incense cedars and Willamette Valley Ponderosa pine in some spots, reflecting the belief those trees can withstand higher summer temperatures.
Their goals with Sirius Woods include continued stand improvements and possibly some pond renovations.
“Natural diversity is one of the things that appeals to us,” Steve said, with Katie adding “and maintaining old growth that is growing.”
Sword ferns harvested from Sirius have been part of the offerings at the LCSWA annual seedling sale.
Logging roads built more than a century ago offer access to the site for recreation for the Kohls, their three children and four grandkids.
There is a series of four small ponds with plants like skunk cabbage and other water lovers along an unnamed creek. The property elevation ranges from 700 to 1,000 feet. Wildlife including cougars, bear, elk and other critters are regular visitors.
“We’ve seen everything over time,” Steve said.
The Kohls were inspired to purchase the property for a number of reasons.
“We had a lot of connections with the woods growing up,” he said. “We wanted to get a piece of woods and take care of it the way it should be.”
The Kohls exemplify woodland owners who choose a variety of goals relating to their property, said Mike Barsotti, LCSWA president.
It is important to have those diversified areas for the overall health of the forest, he added.
The Kohls and other honorees will be spotlighted in the fall at a ceremony at the Oregon Gardens in Silverton.