A Brief History of the Spaulding Tract

The Spaulding Tract is located near what is known as the "Old Peak" road of the northeast side of Mary's Peak in Benton County. People headed for Mary's Peak once passed this way.

Correspondence indicates that Dean George W. Peavy (School of Forestry, Oregon Agricultural College) began negotiating for the 160-acre property with "Chuck" Spaulding of the Chas K. Spaulding Logging Co. of Salem, Oregon in 1921, a letter arrived containing the deed for the property and a note saying that Spaulding and his associates hoped that it would be used for experimental forestry.

In the fall of 1923, western white pine, noble fir, and Douglas fir from the Wind River Nursery in Washington and western larch from the Savenac Nursey in Idaho were planted on about 50 acres cut over in 1920. A report written in 1930 indicates that these areas were not restocking well naturally and were being taken over by fern. The author of the same report urged that the second growth on approximately 40 acres be thinned for poles and cordwood. A 1952 report shows that in addition to the reproduction in the cutover land and the meadow, there was 15 acres of mature timber (80 to 100 yrs.) and about 90 acres of 50 to 70 year-old-timber. According to the cruise, the mature timber ran about 50 thousand and the immature stand about 20 thousand board feet per acre.

The tract was clearcut in 1992, replanted the following year, and is now a vigorously growing stand.