Et cetera : Order trees from the State Forestry Nursery Online!

The State Forest Nursery online store opens today for fall 2024 and spring 2025 seedling orders.

Tree varieties include 23 species of native hardwoods, eight evergreen species and 15 smaller trees and shrubs. Prices range from $.80 to $1.20 per seedling. Seedlings are sold in three age classifications, and range in size from 10-30 inches depending on the species.

Seedlings can be ordered Sept. 3 - May 30. The bare-root (no container, soil root ball or moss included) seedlings are packaged in bundles of 25 inside sealed and labeled plastic bags.

Fall delivery is in November and spring delivery is in April and May. Customers can choose to have their order shipped or they can pick it up at the State Forest Nursery in Ames.

Quality Native Iowa Seedlings

It's always best to plant trees from locally-adapted seeds. The further a tree is planted from its seed source, the greater the risk of suffering from disease or early mortality.

All seedlings available at the State Forest Nursery are grown from Iowa seed sources to harvest the bounty of native genetics that have thrived in our soils and weather against disease, insects, droughts and floods for many thousands of years.

The State Forest Nursery sells approximately 1 million seedlings per year, and 3-5 million seedlings are grown on-site at any given time. Located on 98 acres just south of Highway 30 in Ames, the nursery was established by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and has operated continuously ever since.

DNR's expert nursery staff can assist with species selection and answer questions about your tree needs and nursery offerings.