State Forest Nursery Centennial Catalogs Now Available

Concord, N.H. – The New Hampshire State Forest Nursery is celebrating its 100th year! In addition, due to an increase in inventory of nursery stock this year, no species have sold out yet! The Nursery is now accepting orders for bare-root tree and shrub seedlings for delivery in spring 2010.

The Nursery was started in 1910 to help reforest New Hampshire after much of the landscape was cutover, burned over and abandoned farmland. Today, the nursery distributes over 300,000 seedlings annually, mostly to New Hampshire landowners and residents, with an expanded program that includes seedling sales for Christmas tree planting stock and conservation uses such as windbreaks, gravel bank reclamation, wetland plantings, native plant species and wildlife and songbird habitat. The State Forest Nursery has a reputation of producing a product of the highest quality for a reasonable price.

More than forty species of tree and shrub seedlings are available including 16 conifers (pine, spruce, fir), 6 hardwood trees (oak, maple, walnut) and 24 species of deciduous shrubs. Six packages of mixed seedlings are also available, including the winter survival package which contains plants that produce fruit which will remain on the plant into the winter months, providing a valuable food source for wildlife above deep snow cover. Last winter’s snow pack made such food sources invaluable to the survival of many the State’s wildlife and songbird populations.

All of the seedlings sold at the nursery are grown from seed in the nursery seedbeds. “We collect as much of our seed as possible from local sources to ensure our seedlings are well adapted to New Hampshire climate and soils” said nursery forester Howie Lewis. “People interested in purchasing seedlings from the nursery should order them soon. Although inventories are holding up longer this year, more than half of the balsam fir has already been sold.” Balsam fir is still the most popular Christmas tree in New Hampshire.

Seedlings are sold in a variety of quantities, many in as little as 10 per package. Prices range from as much as $1.50 each in a package of 10 to as little as about fifteen cents each for larger quantities. To request a commemorative centennial catalog contact the Division of Forests and Lands at 271-2214. For more information visit the nursery on the web at www.nhnursery.com or stop by the nursery facilities located on Route 3 in Boscawen, NH. The nursery is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands is part of the Department of Resources and Economic Development. To learn more about the Division of Forests and Lands, visit www.nhdfl.org or call 603/271-2214.