2025 Clarno Willow Harvest

About the place

Oregon’s high desert is home to a diversity of Indigenous people, including the Northern Paiute, Shoshone, Bannock, Wasco, Warm Springs, Yahooskin, Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla peoples organized within several Tribes. These include the Burns Paiute Tribe, Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, the Klamath Tribes, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and others.

The Clarno Nursery, officially named the Clarno Hardwood Propagation Facility, is a collaborative project between the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management located on the John Day River at the tiny hamlet of Clarno. Up to 50,000 willows, cottonwoods and other native trees are harvested annually from this facility for restoration projects around the Northwest, including ONDA’s restoration projects throughout eastern Oregon.

About the stewardship work

The focus for this project will be cutting and collecting stakes of willow and cottonwood for ONDA’s restoration plantings at Pine Creek Conservation Area this spring. The plants that we harvest will be cut into four-foot-long sticks, bundled in plastic bags for easy transportation, then stored until planting season begins in April. Volunteers tasks include cutting the plants, collecting and transporting the plants, and preparing the plants for storage. With assembly-line efficiency, we will prepare around a thousand planting sticks, all while having a great time and enjoying the beautiful outdoor setting!

Trip timeline

• Friday, March 14, 10 a.m.: Meet at the Clarno Nursery for training and orientation
• Friday, March 14, 4 p.m.: We’ll prepare plants until 3:30 p.m. then clean up and head home by 4 p.m.

Difficulty

Level 1: Easy

The physical demands of this project are light. Work involves squatting or bending over, carrying lightweight armfuls of sticks, cutting sticks with loppers, and gripping and tying stick bundles. The work area is flat, but may become cluttered with small stumps once the trees have been harvested. Everyone will work at their own pace, and we will rotate jobs. There will be some moderate tasks of lifting the bundles into the truck where we’ll work together to do this safely. Cold and breezy weather is possible, but we will postpone the event if heavy rain or snow is in the forecast.

Participant responsibilities

Participants are responsible for providing their own food and water/beverages. Sturdy hiking boots are recommended, and close-toed shoes are required (no sandals). We recommend bringing your own work gloves to provide a comfortable fit, but it is not required. These plots have very dense trees and likely some muddy areas so appropriate footwear is essential.

Gear provided

ONDA will provide all the of the training, tools and supplies necessary for the work. Extra gloves and eye protection will be available if needed.

Registration

An ONDA registration application and medical form are required for this trip.

Apply Now

You will receive a confirmation email within 2 weeks of submitting your registration form. This email will provide information regarding trips where you are a confirmed participant and trips that are full where you have been placed on the waitlist.

Six weeks before the start of the trip, the trip leader will send out an email reconfirming participation. Based on responses, any open spaces will be filled with people from the waitlist.

Three weeks before the trip start date, registered and confirmed participants will receive driving instructions, carpooling options, maps, and additional information in an email sent by the trip leader.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact the trip leader.