Every October, the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) offers a wide variety of trees for purchase through its online “seedling store.”
Seedlings can be ordered in quantities ranging from five to 25,000, and can be picked up from the Augusta Nursery or delivered between Feb. 22 and April 26. Orders will be accepted until April next year, but supplies are limited and some species sell out quickly.
To browse the seedling catalog, visit BuyVaTrees.com.
In addition to 45 species of trees and shrubs, VDOF offers several seedling packs with species selected for specific qualities (fall colors, pollinators, riparian buffers and wildlife). For landowners with other goals in mind, VDOF nurseries grow a variety of pine and spruce species, as well as dozens of hardwood varieties used to establish timber stands, pulpwood crops, Christmas-tree plantations, wildlife habitats, stream bank stabilization and urban forests.
“Seedlings are grown and sold directly from Virginia Department of Forestry’s self-supporting nurseries and are raised specifically to thrive here in Virginia,” said Josh McLaughlin, assistant forestry manager at the Augusta Nursery. “This year’s crop is 63 percent larger than last year’s, thanks in part to all those across Virginia who helped us during last year’s annual acorn collection.”