OTE - Oregon Travel Experience

Smokejumper Pine Heritage Tree dedication ceremony

Posted on: June 19th, 2012 in News & Press |

Image of Oregon Travel Experience Heritage Tree dedication program for smokejumper pine tree.Oregon Travel Experience is pleased to announce the upcoming dedication of its latest Oregon Heritage Tree Program honoree, the Smokejumper Pine Tree. The Saturday, June 23rd ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the historic Siskiyou Smokejumper Base. The base is located at Illinois Valley Airport, about four miles south of Cave Junction, Oregon. Please look for signs to the event on Hwy 199 W., as the address on Google maps is a mailing address only.

The smokejumper tree is a Jeffrey Pine, which grows only in Oregon’s southwest corner. They are especially adapted to local dry, infertile, serpentine soils as seen in the Cave Junction region’s flat lands and distant mountains. Jeffrey pines are resistant to fires through a variety of horticultural adaptations such as thick insulating bark and open crowns. During the construction of the SiskiyouSmokejumper Base, this pine was possibly spared for its partial shade and utilitarian use as a telephone pole.

“We are excited to see the Oregon Heritage Tree Program grow in stature,” said OTE CEO Cheryl Gribskov. “When communities look for alternative ways to increase their economic vitality, historical sites can play an important role drawing new visitors to t. As more trees are added to the Cave Junction area, visitors are able to create an entire weekend of visiting not only Camp Oregon Caves and the Chateau, but also the Camp Oregon Caves Port Orford Cedar and the Smokejumper Base Museum. Community organizers like Roger Brandt are invaluable to the future of Cave Junction, because they have the ability to weave Oregon history into the community’s sustainability plans.”

Guest speakers at the dedication include Josephine County Commissioner Simon Hare, former Siskiyou smokejumper Harold Hartman, John Berry from the Pacific NW Forest Service Association, Ranger Roy Bergstrom from the Wild Rivers District, President of the Siskiyou Smokejumpers Base Museum Gary Buck, a spokesperson from the National Smokejumpers Association, Chair of the Oregon Heritage Tree Committee Jennifer Karps, and OTE’s Oregon Heritage Tree Administrator Annie von Domitz.

The dedication is part of an entire day filled with celebration, beginning with a fundraiser pancake breakfast for the Cave Junction Fire Department at 8:00 a.m. and demonstrations, tours, displays, children’s activities and slide shows. The event will close at 2:00 p.m. For a downloadable program of the community events, please visit Highway 199.Org at http://www.highway199.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/smokejumper-heritage-tree-flyer-1.pdf.

For more information on the Oregon Heritage Tree Program, contact Annie von Domitz at 503-373-0864 or via email anniev@oregonte.com.

For media, download a PDF version of this press release.