Irrigon...GreenWood Tree Farm

As we drove down Hwy 84 from Boardman to Hermiston Oregon, you come upon a sight that looks so unnatural. Here in the treeless high desert of Oregon sits a huge group of trees. Even from miles away you can tell that this is not a natural forest, every tree is perfectly aligned to the next with miles and miles of identical rows.
                        This is GreenWood Tree Farm. You can see they are not what you'd call a friendly site to visit.

As you can also see, this ban has no effect on Donna's quest for adventure. I was told, but can't confirm, that this tree farm has the largest drip irrigation system in North American.

Even in mid-day sunlight it is not possible to see the end because of the heavy canopy, it's like looking in a mine tunnel. Some of the guys I work with at the hatchery say there are herds of deer and elk through out the farm.

The Pacific Albus is just a fancy name for Poplars. The trees are grown, not for paper or wood chips, but only for lumber. The tree is extremely fast growing and puts on 1 inch of girth and 6 or more feet of height per year and are cut at about 13 years old.

The trees at the farm almost look like they were cloned from one another, all so perfect and similar spreading in the branches .

It's really hard to get your head around the size of the farm unless as you drive by the front of it for 5 miles you imagine the nine miles of rows that go in the opposite direction. This farm in Boardman is 18,500 acres.