The Colorado State Forest Service is selling affordable seedling trees, grown by its Seedling Tree Nursery, to residents of southeast Colorado. 

The Seedling Tree Program enables landowners, including those impacted by wildfire or flood events, to obtain seedling trees at a low cost for conservation or land rehabilitation purposes. 

Seedling trees are ideal for accomplishing almost any planting project, whether residents are looking to create natural windbreaks, rehabilitate fire-scarred areas or simply want to enhance the landscape of their property in time for spring. Fire-burned areas, for example, suffer a great deal of damage in terms of soil erosion, water retention and loss of wildlife habitat, but landowners can mitigate this damage by planting new vegetation. 

Steve Rudolph, a forester in the CSFS Woodland Park Field Office and the lead for seedling tree sales in the southeast area of Colorado, said that he hopes the Seedling Tree Program will help landowners make a personal commitment to their properties through tree planting, while also meeting conservation goals. 

When tackling a tree-planting project, it is a good idea to understand which tree species are the best to use for accomplishing certain goals. CSFS foresters recommend that landowners consider factors such as elevation, aspect and soil type. For example, some of the most successful species in the southeast area of the state are ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and Rocky Mountain juniper. 

The deadline to order low-cost seedling trees is March 30, so please do not hesitate to contact the CSFS with questions. Download the order form at csfs.colostate.edu/southeast/.

For questions or more information, please contact the Woodland Park Field Office at (719) 687-2951 or csfs_woodlandpark@mail.colostate.edu.