DNR nursery gearing up for spring

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DNR nursery gearing up for spring
(Released October 29, 2010)


Badoura State Nursery in Akeley has started digging tree seedlings in preparation for the spring 2011 planting season.   

Nursery Supervisor Craig VanSickle estimates that Badoura will lift and store more than 500,000 bare root seedlings this fall, ranging from hardwoods to conifers. Millions more will be lifted and shipped to customers next spring as the ground thaws.

“We use seeds collected from native Minnesota trees to raise our seedlings,” VanSickle said. “This means state nurseries are continuing the legacy of giving back to the lands that Minnesotans care so much about.”

All Minnesota landowners can purchase seedlings now for spring 2011 plantings. Prices start as low as $90 for 500 seedlings.

Seedlings can be used for reforestation, improving wildlife habitat, creating shelterbelts, protecting water quality using green buffers, and cleaning the air by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Badoura Nursery and General Andrews Nursery are open to the public. Anyone interested in purchasing seedlings can call 800-657-3767 or visit www.mndnr.gov/nurseries/. Minnesota law states that seedlings purchased from state nurseries can only be planted in Minnesota.