COVE — Not everyone would get excited about a water reclamation project, but for Sandy Roth and Dick Kenton it is a dream come true.

Kenton and Roth own and operate The Plantworks in Cove — a nursery that specializes in growing native species for restoration projects in Eastern Oregon. The conservationist duo was awarded $276,000 from the Oregon Department of Forestry to boost seedling capacity.

“I’m excited, but I wish I was 20 years younger,” Kenton said with a chuckle.

Kenton is the project’s manager, along with Brian Mandella, while Roth handles the work behind the scenes. Reclaiming water has been something Kenton has wanted to do for a while, Roth said, but they have not had the money to make it happen until now.

For Roth, being awarded the grant really feels like a recognition of all the work that she and Kenton have done with their commitment to growing native species.

The grant

The Cove-based nursery is one of 10 tree nurseries across the state that received a total of $4.4 million in funding to help increase their ability to produce seedlings. The Plantworks was the only nursery on the list from Eastern Oregon.

“These grants are increasing overall capacity across the state for whenever seedling demand rises,” said ODF Reforestation Program Project Coordinator Astrea Strawn. “In the case of nurseries in Union and Hood River counties, the grants also ensure there will be capacity to provide geographically appropriate seedlings for those areas.”

The state needs seedlings to help reforest millions of acres deforested in recent years by wildfire, disease and pests. The money was given to ODF after the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 5006 in 2021 in response to the devastating 2020 wildfires.

“These grants are helping nurseries make strategic investments to increase their ability to grow more seedlings, which will enable them to better support reforestation needs in the future,” said Nate Agalzoff, small forestland owner assistance unit manager at ODF.

To qualify for the grant opportunity nurseries needed to have experience growing high-quality commercial conifer trees for reforestation in Oregon, including Douglas fir, grand fir, noble fir, western red cedar and ponderosa pine.

The projects

The nursery received the grant funding in December 2022 and the owners are using it for a water reclamation project and to build two new greenhouses. Water had been the primary issue keeping Roth and Kenton from expanding production, according to Roth.

“Water is our main issue,” she said.

The Plantworks utilizes two 3,000-gallon tanks to store water. The tanks are gravity filled from a nearby spring and creek, which the nursery has the water rights to use. Roth said they can sometimes drain the tanks in a day with their water needs. This can be a challenge — especially in the summer when the sources slow to a trickle.

Water became even more of an issue three years ago. Another creek they used to fill the water tanks was blown out due to a flood, Roth said.

Also, the floors in the existing greenhouses were gravel. This meant that when watering the plants the excess water was being lost to the ground.

“We’ve been losing about 1,600 gallons a day,” Kenton said.

The water reclamation project included pouring new concrete floors in all the greenhouses. The floors are slanted, which directs the runoff water toward the center of the greenhouse where it flows into a drainpipe. The pipe will run down to a 2,000-gallon collection tank, where the water can be filtered, sterilized and then reused. Ideally, Roth said, water will be pumped back to the collection tanks using a solar pump.

While laying the new flooring they were also able to install a closed water heating system in the concrete. The heated floors keep the greenhouses a consistent 55 degrees, which according to Roth helps with the early growing process and the fall freeze. It will also be cheaper than the old heating system.

The Plantworks is also adding two new greenhouses, Roth said, which will be dedicated to growing seedlings when they are needed by the state.

Keeping it local

The funding has allowed The Plantworks team to give back to the community, Kenton said.

Typically, the company stops production in November. This year, however, they were able to keep three or four employees on throughout the winter to assist with the project.

It is important to Kenton to source as much of the materials locally as possible. The owners also are working with contractors from Cove.

“We’re trying to keep the money in the county,” Kenton said.