After several tough years brought on by the recession, Oregon's nursery industry -- the most valuable sector of the state's agricultural economy -- is showing signs of a comeback.
"It's by no means a wonderful market, but all of a sudden it's improving," said Nancy Buley, a spokeswoman for the J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. nursery in Boring, one of the state's largest.
Oregon's nurseries and greenhouses grow landscaping trees and shrubs, and supply commercial garden centers with house plants. About 75 percent of nursery production is shipped out of state, and the industry is tightly linked to housing and other development.
But nursery operators are encouraged by an uptick in orders, a trend particularly noticeable over the past six to eight weeks. Orders for Schmidt & Son products are up more than 10 percent over this time a year ago, Buley said.
It's been a slow walk back. The value of Oregon's greenhouse and nursery plant production topped more than $1 billion in 2005, but then the recession hit, the housing market crashed and demand for landscaping plummeted.
"If they're not making streets, they don't need street trees," said Elizabeth Peters, spokeswoman for the Oregon Association of Nurseries.
By 2010, nursery production value had dropped nearly 40 percent, to about $667 million. The value climbed back to $742 million in 2011. Figures for 2012 have not yet been compiled, but are expected to show continued improvement.
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