Planting a Forest: A story of a local farm giving back to the Earth
In the midst of the climate catastrophe, where fires in Oregon are burning hotter and longer than usual, and where animals are losing their habitats at alarming rates, there are people who are fighting back, even in the smallest ways. They have the recipe for hope, even when it feels like the world is currently baking in the recipe for disaster.
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Located in the Willamette Valley, five miles outside of McMinnville, a painted blue post with a white bird flying hammered into the ground with the word Wingspan, greets visitors.
Owners Amy and Silas Halloran-Steiner have lived on the 123 acres of land for 21 years. In 2008, they conducted their first tree planting, where they planted 9,900 trees. This passion has only grown since. In 2021, they planted 3,900 more, and in February of 2025, they planted 7,000 trees in the cold. In the 21 years they've lived on their property, they have planted 22,050.
The goal for them? To promote habitat restoration and lower carbon emissions.
One tree equals one more megasequester of carbon. One tree equals a better Earth.
Two volunteers ride in the back of a truck to the bottom of a hill at Wingspan Farm.
Volunteers gather around a fire on Feb. 16 at Wingspan Farm.
A volunteer marks the newly planted tree with a flag at Wingspan Farm.
Amy Halloran-Steiner talks to a group of volunteers around a fire at Wingspan Farm.
Rob Tracy snips the roots of a plant while volunteering at Wingspan Farm.
A volunteer dries and warms her gloves at Wingspan Farm.
Madeline Bisgyer plants a tree while volunteering at Wingspan Farm.
Volunteers plant a bush on Feb. 16 at Wingspan Farm.
A view of a hill planted with new trees and bushes at Wingspan Farm.