ben deumling
Zena Forest Products
Willamette Valley, OR
August 23rd - August 24th, 2025
Ben Deumling is a forest steward, a Whitman Alumni, and the owner of Zena Forest Products. As the first guest of our group, we were excited to see Ben waving with a big smile after our long drive from JWC to Zena Forest, 9 miles away from Salem, Oregon. Ben was in the very first Semester in the West cohort, and like many former Westies who came to visit us here, Semester In The West was a foundational experience that influenced his environmental philosophy today, which informs the decisions he makes at Zena. We went on a walk that afternoon under the scorching late August heat, as Ben warned us to watch out for the poison oak sprouting everywhere along the trail. He showed us other species in the forest and their interactions as well.
Ben founded Zena Forest Products soon after having completed SITW the second time as a staff member. Westies had the chance to visit his warehouse where hardwood flooring is sourced from Oregon white oak, often deemed as not economically valuable as Douglas fir that is also widely grown in the region. Together with his mother Sara, Ben showed us Zena sustainably logs and grows forest. They also shared with us the challenges of invasive blackberries and a fluctuating timber market. Westies appreciated the evening conversations at the chair cycle (colloquially known as 'the chircle'), about the history of the land and how Ben comes to see his role and dedication in the stewardship of this forest.
by Linh Che