Oakville resident named Lewis County Tree Farmer of the Year
Wild Thyme Tree Farm will now be considered for state title
Photos by Ridley Hudson | ridley@chronline.com • Posted Friday, July 18, 2025 5:25 pm • Article by Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com
The Lewis County Tree Farm of the Year is a beautiful site to behold. It’s soaked in sun and covered in trees, it’s historical and it’s — in Grays Harbor County?
Washington tree farmer John Henrikson and the Lewis County chapter of the Washington Farm Forestry Association hosted a farm tour Tuesday evening to celebrate Henrikson’s selection as Lewis County Tree Farmer of the Year.
Even though Henrikson’s farm sits just on the other side of the county line in Grays Harbor County near Oakville, he is an active member of the Lewis County chapter and involved in three others.
As part of the celebration, Henrikson toured a group of association and local community members around the Wild Thyme Tree Farm, which he owns along with his three brothers, Richard, Robert and Jack.
Henrikson’s farm is very different from what many people might expect when they hear the words “tree farm.” It’s a far cry from your local Christmas tree U-cut operation or even the more traditional Douglas fir timber farm. The 150-acre tree farm that consists of rolling hills and nearby tributary streams plays host to four different kinds of forests and a couple fields for traditional agriculture.
During the tour, attendees mingled and chatted while Henrikson led a short hike around the property and shared his experiences. The majority of the land — approximately 100 acres — is dedicated to what Henrikson calls a native forest, which he manages to maintain a variety of tree species at different ages.
Henrikson also dedicates about 10 acres to wildlife habitat focused forest, mostly around fish-bearing streams, 5 acres to agro-forestry for nut and fruit trees that grow food and can eventually be used as timber, and another 5 acres to arboretum space where he has planted and managed rare trees such as coastal redwoods and giant sequoias.
During the tour, Henrikson asked his audience to follow him through nine different sites, starting in the property’s floodplain near its most significant wildlife habitat forest, followed by a walk through a small ravine and up the hill to show the full range of the forest he has created.
While following Henrikson, others, mostly fellow tree farmers, tried to keep up as he blazed a trail through the property that he so meticulously manages. It became clear speaking with attendees and overhearing conversations that Henrikson’s techniques on his farm are often unconventional.
Two tree farmers remarked that visiting the farm might give them ideas for a few experimental techniques to try on their own properties.
Others whose farms are focused more on timber production than agro-forestry and habitat noted that the farm was a very different type than their own, but nonetheless well managed. Bryon Loucks, an active member of the community and former Lewis County tree farm owner and tree farmer of the year winner, pointed out that the family had made a very unique and non-traditional tree farm profitable by taking some extra steps.
“This family is somewhat unique in what they’ve done,” Loucks said. “It’s what they want to do. They’re practicing pretty good forestry with what they’re doing. It’s not intensively raising a commercial product, but see, they’ve made that maple commercial with that saw mill.”
Unlike more traditional tree farms that often focus on timber harvests that come from thinning and eventually clearcutting plots of land, the Wild Thyme Tree farm is home to many trees that are not profitable as timber, such as maple. To turn a profit, Henrikson and his brothers mill many of the naturally fallen trees on the property into long wood slabs and go to steps to process them on their own before selling them to wood workers as material for countertops, tables or other wood products.
Tree Farmer of the Year
The award, which Henrikson received in February, is a bigger deal than some may realize, and apparently it may come with some added responsibilities. Along with hosting a tour and welcoming tree farmers from the surrounding counties, the award officially nominates Henrikson for consideration for the state Tree Farmer of the Year award. The winner of that award serves on the selection board the following year and often becomes a sort of unofficial ambassador for small forestland owners. The state title also nominates the farm for consideration for higher level awards regionally and nationally. Each stage involves tours, applications and more work and leadership.
Henrikson said he avoided the hot seat of Tree Farmer of the Year for a long time, but finally gave in this year when he and his family’s farm received the nomination from two different routes. Henrikson was nominated to be considered as state Tree Farmer of the Year both by an independent inspector as well as the Lewis County chapter of the Washington Farm Forestry Association.
“I actively resisted it for the better part of the decade,” Henrikson said. “I said, ‘no, no, no, I’m not ready’… It finally came from so many corners that I said, ‘fine, let’s do it’.”
While Henrikson sounds hesitant, it’s clear from his other involvement that his reservations come from perfectionism. After all, Henrikson already has many responsibilities in the community, serving in leadership roles both with the Washington Farm Forestry Association and the Washington Tree Farm Program.
In the past, he has also served on a number of state committees for different environmental and forestland issues, including the spotted owl, safe harbor agreement, carbon work groups and others.
He has been involved in the community for the better part of 30 years.