When Judy Bessinger of West St. Paul Minnesota receives a bouquet from her honey, she might know the orchids are from Hawaii, the roses from Ecuador, or the tulips from Holland. She probably does not know or care about the origins of these lovely blossoms as long as they are from Mr. Right. It is even less likely that she, or even her florist at Evergreen Floral and Gift, knows anything about the source of the floral greens that form the backbone of her arrangement. But there is a good chance that this greenery comes from the state of Washington, and very possibly from Mason County. They pass through many hands before reaching the desk of a secretary in Spain or the room of a hospital patient in Greece.
Floral greens constitute a significant industry in Washington, and in Mason County in particular.
The brush business was considered to be a marginal industry 30 or 40 years ago, but has grown enormously as the export market has discovered the deep green, long lasting products that are available from Washington forests. As the industry has grown to a multi-million dollar enterprise, both public and private agencies are becoming involved in issues surrounding the business, also know as the Specialty Forest Products industry. The North Mason Sun will cover the brush industry over the next four weeks The series will focus on a variety of factors that need to be kept in balance for the industry to benefit business owners, workers, the forests and the community as a whole. The local greens known as brush are primarily Gaultheria shallon, Vaccinium parrifolium and Vaccinium ovatum, and Polystrichum minitum. Known more commonly as salal, huckleberry, and sword fern, all three have a very long shelf life under refrigeration.