Arturo Gracia, maintenance lead, in front of a newly completed greenhouse. Arturo led the construction project at Turner.
January through June is a hectic time for Western Regeneration, with a tight production schedule to first lift and pack seedlings and then sow millions of seeds — all to ensure we’re able to meet seedling commitments to internal and external customers. This year, the team at our nursery in Turner, Oregon, had an additional challenge: building four new greenhouses in the same timeframe.
Construction of the greenhouses was made possible by a grant from the Oregon Department of Forestry. The grant offered funds for projects that increase seedling production in the state, with the goal of making more trees available to landowners for planting after wildfires.
“Landing this grant was great recognition of our ability to come through for everyone who needs extra seedlings,” says Jeff Mehlschau, who was Western Regeneration team leader at the time and recently took on an export manager role in South Carolina. “Our Turner team, especially Arturo Gracia, worked hard to make this project happen, and we’re really proud of the results.”
Arturo, maintenance lead, led the construction project for the new greenhouses, completing it on time and within budget. The new greenhouses increase the nursery’s production by at least 400,000 seedlings per year.
With the ground leveled at Turner, the new greenhouses are ready to be built. 'I love my job in maintenance,' Arturo says. 'This project was a big departure from my normal tasks, but it was fun to take on something new. My biggest challenge was leveling the ground for the new greenhouses. Hopefully, in the future, we can find a way to make that a little easier!'
AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD
In recent years, wildfires have significantly impacted more than 1 million acres of forests throughout Oregon. Demand for seedlings is expected to exceed the usual supply for years to come.
The need for additional seedling capacity drove ODF to offer grants to growers with experience producing high-quality conifer species for reforestation purposes.
Sue Woodall, Western Regeneration team lead, noticed the grant and brought it to Jeff’s attention.
“I’d never written a grant before,” Jeff says. “It was a little intimidating, but I was confident that we met the requirements. We worked hard over the last couple years to produce enough seedlings for our own wildfire recovery, and this is a way for us to apply our skills and facilities for the greater good.”
That checked all the boxes for grant recipients, who would need to use the funds to expand their growing capacity, utilize the extra seedlings within the state, and demonstrate an interest in assisting with reforestation needs.
“When we say we’re going to do something, we do it,” Jeff says. “We have the expertise and the facilities within our nursery system, so we can actually put these greenhouses to use and deliver what the state is asking for.”
Jeff’s team found out they received a $500,000 grant in late November 2022 and immediately launched into the planning phase.
Arturo managed the construction crew to complete the building project during Turner's busiest time of year.
THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB
According to grant stipulations, spending and construction had to be completed by June 30 — which meant the entire project would have to take place during the nursery’s busiest season, when new crops are sown after seedlings are packed and shipped to customers over the winter.
“Arturo is an incredibly reliable worker, and we knew he could handle this project,” Jeff says. “We were so grateful he was willing to take on the challenge. He’s a fairly independent maintenance lead, but for this project he had to manage a crew of four to six contract employees on a daily basis, telling them what to do and when to do it.”
Completed frames for the new greenhouses. 'It was really refreshing for me to be involved with a grant for the first time, and then find that the folks from the Oregon Department of Forestry were so kind and accommodating,' Jeff says. 'They were an excellent partner for this project, and I’m looking forward to working with them again in the future.'
With the help of David Perfecto, a Spanish language translator, Arturo explains he was pretty stressed when he first found out he’d be overseeing construction.
“It was clear it would be a lot of work on top of my other duties,” Arturo says. “But I came up with a strategy for the timeline and worked with Employers Overload, our staffing agency, to decide who the best workers would be for each task.”
The Turner team helped out by making sure materials were ordered and ready to go before the work started. They also managed the scheduling of electricians, mechanical contractors and other vendors.
“The reason we’re here today, with these four greenhouses complete and producing seedlings for the entire state, is that Arturo did such a great job,” Jeff says. “We appreciate everything he did to make this happen.”
The inside of one of the new greenhouses.
REAFFIRMING A LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO OREGON FORESTS
The first crop was seeded in the new greenhouses in May, well ahead of the June 30 deadline.
“While Western Timberlands will always be our biggest and most important customer, this project has the potential to impact future forests all over Oregon,” Jeff says. “It’s a great example of our commitment to regeneration as a core business. So we put in extra hours and pushed ourselves to make it work without impacting our other goals.”
The first crop of seedlings will be packed in December and January before they head off to their new homes around Oregon. Some will be earmarked for the Oregon Department of Forestry’s own tree farm in Astoria.
“This project took a lot of communication to make sure everyone was on the same page, but all the hard work was worth it,” Arturo says. “Now, we can look at the seedlings growing inside those greenhouses with the satisfaction of knowing we played a role in something truly important.”
