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Since You Asked: Former tree orchard sold to Medford holding company Aug 14, 2022 12:15 AM A A Why were two Douglas (fir) tree seed farms on Hanley Road suddenly logged and the acreage cleared? — Larry S., via email Weyerhaeuser Company sold the orchard to a new owner, Larry, according to a representative from the Seattle-based timberland company. Betsy Earls, Weyerhaeuser’s government affairs manager for Oregon and Montana, wrote that the orchard consisted of two parcels, located at 2186 and 175 Hanley Road. Combined, they covered 215 acres, containing anywhere from 3,000-5,000 Douglas firs — the state tree. “The orchard was 100% Douglas fir. That tree grows very well in Oregon, which is why we concentrated on generating seed to be used for replanting our harvested timber lands,” Earls wrote. “We harvest our own seed and start our trees from seedlings.” Weyerhaeuser did just that on the orchard, which it had owned since about 1983. But when seed orchard production improved, the company decided it was time for a change “We were able to consolidate operations with other, existing facilities and continue to meet internal and external customer demand,” Earls wrote. She did not reveal the name of the orchard’s new owner, but parcel property data in Jackson County records show the parcels were purchased by Hanley Road Holdings LLC. The mailing address listed Denis Hickey Jr., who owns Coast 2 Coast Logistics. A representative for the Medford-based company said Friday that Hickey was traveling and not immediately available for comment. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by email to [email protected].