HISTORIC WOOD

Nestled in a narrow valley, the city of Heppner, Oregon, is known as the “Gateway to the Blue Mountains,” a small community surrounded by rolling hills and open skies. Just outside of town, an older couple reached out to us about a walnut tree on their ranch. When they first moved there over 30 years ago, the wife spotted the tree standing quietly in the corner of the pasture and said simply, “Leave that tree.” And so they did.

For decades, the tree became an integral part of the family’s daily landscape—casting shade, marking the seasons, and anchoring memories. However, over time, circumstances changed, and it became clear that the tree needed to be taken down. When the day came, our expert team of arborists carefully harvested it, loading the trunk to be milled into slabs back at our shop.

Though it no longer stands on the ranch, in many ways the wife’s wish has been honored and expanded. The walnut’s warm grain and character will now live on in homes, offices, and gathering spaces—its story carried forward, its presence multiplied, and its beauty shared with many more people than ever before.