SPRINGFIELD – This week, Willamalane Park and Recreation District began the next phase of its tree replacement project at Dorris Ranch to protect the historic Filbert orchards from Eastern Filbert Blight, a fungus that has spread through nearly all mature trees. Though Willamalane has applied various treatments over the years, replacing affected trees with blight-resistant varieties is the only viable long-term solution to preserve the orchards.
Approximately 40 acres of diseased trees in the Briggs, Clump, Cherry, Back Walnut, Goat, and Walnut South orchards will be removed and mulched back into the soil, enriching the land’s nutrients and improving water retention.
This project, supported by a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, will reduce the need for future chemical treatments to prevent Eastern Filbert Blight.
Tree removal will take approximately two weeks.
The orchards will be closed, though Middle Fork Path and other areas of the park will remain open.
In early 2025, Willamalane will replant blight-resistant trees throughout the orchards. The historic Road Orchard will remain, preserving a record of early agricultural practices and maintaining Dorris Ranch’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest commercial filbert orchard in the U.S.
