The first commercial-sized planting of hazelnuts in Oregon were made by George Dorris in 1905 when he planted his 5 acres for nut production and sold the nuts to an innovative company called Meier and Frank who in turn sold directly to consumers in ten-pound bags. Dorris also started a hazelnut nursery on the property that operated for 40 years and produced an average of 70,000 trees per year. It is estimated that over half of the tree’s in Oregon’s hazelnut industry originated from Dorris Ranch Nursery stock.
Dorris Ranch became a part of the Willamalane Park and Recreation District in 1972 and was successful in getting the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are now thirteen different hazelnut orchards on the Dorris Ranch and five of them were planted before 1927.
- Approx. height: 30′–40′
- Planted in: 1905
- Dedicated on: April 21, 2005
- Crown: 20′
Visit this tree
The 250 acre Dorris Ranch Living History Farm is located at South 2nd and Dorris Streets in Springfield.