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CapitalPress.com August 19, 2016 Nursery celebrates 70th anniversary By JANAE SARGENT Capital Press Janae Sargent/Capital Press Veronica Lopez and Anna Moralez plant cuttings made from har- vested trees in one of the greenhouses at High Forest Farm. with Jeff Lafrenz, the market- ing manager. Both found their way to J. Frank Schmidt un- expectedly and stayed for the supportive environment. Lafrenz, who has been with the company 30 years, said the creative freedom he has is as close as it gets to being self-employed but with a lot of support from the company. The company is owned and Janae Sargent/Capital Press Sam Barkley, J. Frank Schmidt’s grandson, treats tough seed before planting it so that it is able to more easily germinate and grow. operated by J. Frank Schmidt III, a third-generation nurs- eryman. His father, J. Frank Schmidt Jr., started the compa- ny in 1946 after growing up on his father’s nursery. J. Frank Schmidt Jr. saw a need for trees of consistent quality, form and survivability and began cloning and intro- ducing new trees. The nursery has introduced more than 70 trademarked cultivars. The nursery’s best-known tree, the Redpoint Maple, took 17 years to develop. Thirty years ago, Schmidt also started selecting trees for heat and drought tolerance. “Developing trees is a long process that takes a lot of pa- tience, dedication and vision,” Buley said. “Frank Jr. had a lot of vision for the future.” To clone and introduce a new tree, up to 2,000 seed- lings are planted and the best ones are grown out for sev- eral years. They are then sent to evaluation trials in various regions around the United States. Introducing and grow- ing trees has become such a large operation that produc- tion had to be split among five smaller farms across the property. In the irst stage of the growing process, cuttings are made to reproduce trees at High Forest Farms, what Bu- ley calls the “nursery of the nursery.” Manager Celina Villaseñor said her team makes more than 30,000 cuttings per day at the farm. Eva Alvarez has been on the cutting team for 18 years. Her husband and son also work at Schmidt. Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate oficer John Perry Chief operating oficer Capital Press Managers Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher Joe Beach ..................................... Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2016 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing ofices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Toll free ............................. 800-882-6789 Main line ........................... 503-364-4431 Fax ................................... 503-370-4383 Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692 • • • • AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIAL SEPTIC Call for DRINKING Specials WATER • RAIN WATER NEW N! LOCATIO 99E, y 33935 Hw t, OR Tangen rth no A half-mile 34 of Hwy Authorized BANJO Dealer Crafted for Safety, Longevity, Stability and Affordability! Quality Made in the ALSO AVAILABLE! HYPRO Pumps and TeeJet spray system parts. We Deliver Anywhere! Since 1954 See our full inventory at: www.jtisupply.com N16-4/#7 Storage Solutions (541) 928-2937 1-800-982-1099 N16-2/#5 J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. celebrates its 70th anniver- sary this year — and the 50th anniversary of its introduction of the Redpoint Maple tree. The 2,500-acre wholesale nursery in Boring, Ore., sells more than 500 varieties of trees and has become one of the nation’s largest wholesale nurseries with one of the lead- ing tree introduction programs. Even with such a large op- eration, Nancy Buley, the nurs- ery’s communications director, said a high standard of respect for employees and treatment remains a cornerstone of the company’s success. Buley considers herself a “tree journalist,” and has been with Schmidt for 26 years — making her one of many em- ployees who have made the nursery a home. She handles marketing and communications outreach Capital Press tallmanladders.com (541) 386-2733 (800) 354-2733 N16-2/#8 2