The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) contracted Kevin Barnes, grafting specialist, to propagate improved Douglas fir, western hemlock, western larch, and ponderosa pine trees for the J.E. Schroeder Seed Orchard. Barnes plays a crucial role in propagating improved tree varieties that will produce seeds for replanting clearcuts and areas affected by fire in Oregon.
At the J.E. Schroeder Seed Orchard, geneticist Don Kaczmarek uses traditional breeding methods to develop trees for Oregon with characteristics such as increased growth rates, climate adaptability, and resistance to insects and disease. Barnes grafts material from parent trees to a rootstock that provides water and nutrients for growth. “It’s a specialized profession and not a lot of people do what we do,” Barnes said.
“Our hope here at Schroeder is that we can continue to provide a reliable seed source that can help keep Oregon’s forests thriving,” Seed Orchard Manager Casara Nichols said.
Barnes uses a grafting technique that ensures the cambium layers of the plant material align. This alignment is vital for the successful growth of the grafted tree. “When you have an old growth tree that’s 200 ft. tall, cambium acts like a ladder. No matter how tall that tree is, the water and nutrients go up the tree cell by cell from the root system clear to the top of the tree,” Barnes explained. The graft is secured with a 100% natural rubber strip, called a budding strip, which is then sealed with water-based asphalt to protect the union.
“We try to shorten the time from orchard establishment to first cone crops. Trees planted this fall will produce their first cone crops in six to seven years dramatically shortening the time to production of advanced seed compared to trees grown in natural stands,” Kaczmarek said. Trees are grafted in the winter to early spring and orchards are planted in the fall of the same year. It takes roughly seven to 10 months for trees to become established following grafting.
A rich family history in the field backs Barnes’ knowledge of tree grafting. His father, Gerald Barnes, previously managed the Dorena Tree Improvement Center. Through a school trade-learning program, he introduced Kevin and his brother Shawn Barnes, who works for ODF doing seed processing, to the craft. The Barnes family has been instrumental in the development and success of modern orchards across Oregon. They have worked for the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and private timber companies for over 30 years.
