Virginia’s tree seedling store opens Monday, October 2 at 10 a.m. Orders may be placed online at buyvatrees.com or by calling the Augusta Forestry Center at (540) 363-7000.
“We grew and sold more than 30 million tree seedlings last year,” said Justin Funk, forestry centers manager. “And we expect demand to remain strong—so much so, that it’s likely some varieties of our Loblolly pine seedlings may sell out early.”VDOF’s best seller—and the foundation of its nursery program—is Loblolly pine. This species is planted on a wide range of sites east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers an investment opportunity for private landowners.
All of the loblolly pine families have increased performance over unimproved seedlings. Based upon field trials through age six, the Control Pollinated, Virginia’s Best, Elite and Premium families of seedlings have 90 percent, 71 percent, 60 percent and 50 percent gains, respectively, when properly managed.In addition to Loblolly pine seedlings, VDOF nurseries offer 46 other species of tree seedlings for sale to Virginia landowners. These include dogwood, apple, bald cypress, maples, white pine and 10 species of oaks. VDOF also has several specialty seedling packs that are designed for specific uses, such as riparian buffer establishment, wildlife habitat enhancement and quail management.
The newest seedling pack, called the “pollinator pack,” will provide a good mix of tree species that are known for producing an abundance of food for our native pollinators.Payment must be made at the time of purchase. If placing an order by phone or online, a credit card is the only accepted method of payment. Walk-in orders may be paid with credit card, check or money order.Tax-exempt orders must be placed over the phone or in person, and a fully completed ST-18 form must be provided before the tax-exempt order is placed. Funk recommends having the form filled out in advance and mailed/faxed to one of the VDOF forestry centers to avoid delays.“If you would like to browse our seedling catalog prior to the store opening, it can be found on our website at www.buyvatrees.com, or you can access the link on our Facebook page ‘Virginia State Nurseries,’” said Funk. “We look forward to serving you during another successful planting season.”The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide citizen service and public safety protection across the Commonwealth, which it’s been doing now for more than 100 years
