The Double J Ranch & Timber Farm

A small family forest used for habitat, recreation and wood fiber production.

Member of the National Woodland Owners Association

 

Located in beautiful Okanogan County Washington

 

Tonasket Ranger District

Timber

We are a small timber farm consisting of a little over 40 acres. We are classified as a timber farm in the eyes of the State of Washington. Our land is heavily forested. It consist mainly of Ponderosa Pines being the majority/dominant tree followed by Douglas Fir at a ratio of roughly 50:1. I have found no other species to date except a single lone Tamarack also known as a Western Larch. The Larch is common in the area, I just dont have any but that single one. The Tamarack will lose its needles in the fall, they turn yellow. The look like a dead douglas fir tree during winter, but be warned, they are very much alive and well.

Ground Cover

The ground cover is mainly Pine Grass that is green in the spring, turning yellow  or gold in mid to late  summer. We have lots of Blue Lupine, Western Columbine, Wenatchee Paintbrush, Spearleaf , Agoseris and Yellow Mullein showing up in the spring also.

Region

The region does have Tamarack and Aspens. As you go higher in elevation in the area, the Ponderosas give way to Lodgepole Pines, the fir gives way to the Engelmann Spruce. Tamarack seems to like both elevations. Wetter areas will house the Aspens. This is usually in draws or along side any creek or water leeching out a hillside. We have no water features on the ranch at all.

We are located at 3400 feet in elevation at the lowest point in the south west corner and the highest point is 3600 feet in the north east corner for a 200 foot total elevation rise.

Goals

In addition to supplying the region with "wood fiber", we are also providing the area with habitat for wildlife. We enjoy the wildlife in the region. We are maintaining the forest health, we just completed a complete thinning operation on the entire farm, performed by "Wildfire Home Protection" with the help of the DNR cost share program.

This consisted of thinning the overgrowth, tight groups of saplings, creating more space between larger trees, open canopy but not reducing crowns by more than 50%, clipping all lower branches to the 10 foot mark to slow or prevent wildfires. The thinning has made the existing stand of timber much healtheir, bug,  drought and fire resistant. The forest floor is now full of pine grass that is lush green and lots of pretty colors from wildflowers in the spring. Colors are red, yellow and violet.

Wildlife

We are home to many wild animals, including grizzly bear (the chances of seeing a grizzly is slim to none), black bear, moose, white tail deer, mule deer, gray wolves  (wolves so far have also been elusive, but are in the area now and becoming more problematic with ranchers, pets and people), wild turkey, bobcat, cougar, coyote, blue and ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare and a host of smaller animals and birds such as chipmunks, squirrels, bats, quail, hawks, pileated and hairy woodpeckers, red napped sap suckers, great horned, long eared, barred and great gray owls in the trees.

I have been known to set out some deer corn from time to time with my game camera to capture deer feeding. I dont do this often, do not want to create a dependency nor a common spot for deer to gather making them easy targets during deer season. I am not anti hunting, I just want wildlife to have a sporting chance and also the hunter to have to have a sporting chance.

Theme

We have always enjoyed the theme and color schemes of the USFS, National Parks and State Parks, we built the area up on that theme and incorporated their colors shapes and styles into our designs. Decorated the area with items collected over the years. I also like early logging, gold mining (panning) and early pioneer items. But this is not public land, it is private land and is an actual working timber farm. We may incorporate some livestock in the future. But right now, our primary product is wildlife habitat, recreation and wood fiber in that order.  Its very well marked all around with no trespassing signs and fencing. Please respect those signs and boundaries.

Wildfire Home Protection Video

Forestry/Timber Related Links

           

 Carhartt is the official workwear of the JJ Ranch

 

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