OTE - Oregon Travel Experience

Tsuga mertensiana

Judge John B. Waldo, Oregon’s foremost 19th century conservationist, and his companions carved their names on this mountain hemlock on September 13, 1888. Waldo was gathering information to use in advocating for designation of the Cascade Forest Reserve. The journey proved significant in the forest conservation history of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

Tree Facts

Age: 200 years

Circumference: 8′ 4″

Dedicated on: April 7, 1999

Location: Sky Lakes Wilderness, Rogue River Natl forest, …

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Sequoiadendron giganteum

Judge William Waldo, the son of an 1842 pioneer, planted this sequoia in 1872. Waldo made efforts during his lifetime to preserve the tree and over time others have saved it from the encroaching street system. In 1936 the Salem City Council declared the site, a twelve by twenty-foot plot of land, a city park.

Tree Facts

Approx. height: 85′

Planted in: 1872

Circumference: 22′

Dedicated on: April 8, 1998

Audio Tour:

Location: 605 Summer Street …

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Acer platanoides

In 1923, volunteers planted 250 Norway maple trees along Spruce Street and “S” Avenue to commemorate the end of the First World War. Called Victory Way, this tree-lined parkway stretched from downtown to Riverside Park. In 1998, volunteers planted a variety of new trees along Victory Way to enhance the parkway’s historic value and restore its tree-lined appearance.

Tree Facts

Approx. height: 60′

Age: 83 years

Circumference: 7′

Dedicated on: April 10, 2003

Location: Greenwood …

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Pseudotsuga menziesii

The Valley of the Giants is a 51-acre parcel of land containing a stand of old-growth Douglas-fir and hemlock trees. Because of the increasing rarity of such large trees in the Coast Range, a wave of public support for their protection was begun in the early 1970’s by Maynard Drawson of Salem, Oregon. In 1976, the trees were officially recognized as “Oregon’s Bicentennial Grove” and the Bureau of Land …

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Pinus lambertina

When settlers crossed on the Applegate Trail, sugar pine trees dominated this landscape. Native Americans had seasonal camps and have purposefully managed the sugar pine, including using a hook-ladder to move up the tiered branches to reach the pinecones. Settlement pressures, needs and practice may have contributed to its decline here. The largest sugar pine in the area is located in the wash across the road from the tubs.

Tree …

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Populus x canescens

This grey poplar, Trysting Tree II, is a clone of the original. The tree was named for its popularity as a romantic meeting spot in the early 1900s. It has become a symbol of Oregon State University (OSU), memorialized in the alma mater, “I love to wander on the pathway, Down to the Trysting Tree.” OSU is one of only two Land, Sea, Space and Sun grant colleges …

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Pseudotsuga menziesii – Douglas fir

Between 1949 and 1973, an army of volunteers helped plant an estimated 72 million trees to reforest the Tillamook Burn-one of the largest forest replanting efforts in history. Here, in the area of Cedar Creek Flat, the new forest was planted entirely by school children from Tillamook, Forest Grove and Portland. Students arrived by the busload and were met by foresters who provided Douglas-fir seedlings, tools, …

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Jurglans regia – English walnut

This remnant English walnut orchard is an example of the thousands of acres of walnuts planted in western Oregon in the early 20th century when walnuts were heavily promoted as the perfect crop for high returns. However, wet fall weather and late harvests meant California was more competitive for holiday markets. After the 1962 Columbus Day Storm toppled many of the trees, walnuts never recovered, and …

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Quercus garryana

This grove of Oregon white oaks is believed to have been the site of a seasonal camp used by Kalapuya Indians who gathered acorns and camas here. When the State Fair was established in 1862, visitors came in wagons and camped in the oak grove continuing the tradition of historic use. Camping at the Fair became an annual event and evolved into a system with streets and designated campsites. …

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Sequoiadendron giganteum

This grove of giant Sequoias was planted by students of the Class of 1942 in honor of Willamette University’s 100th anniversary. Founded by Jason Lee in 1842, Willamette University is recognized as the oldest university in the west. In 1997, the campus started an annual holiday tradition by lighting the Star Trees from mid-December to January. They are now considered to be the tallest Christmas trees on a college …

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