Public Seedling Sale cancelled for 2024-25
After committing seedling inventory to Game Commission projects, the Hunter Access Cooperator program and the Seedlings for Schools program, there is not enough surplus of seedlings to sell to the public. Surplus seedling sales are anticipated to resume in January 2026.
Seedlings for Schools 2024-25
Seedlings for Schools orders will be accepted beginning Monday, February 3, 2025
Bare-root seedlings are raised at the nursery for wildlife food and cover on state game lands. The nursery has been producing and distributing 2 to 8 million seedlings annually for wildlife food and cover since 1954. The goal of Howard Nursery is to provide the finest tree seedlings available of those species that best provide for the various needs of wildlife, including food and shelter. All of our stock is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture and certified to be disease-free.
Howard Nursery grows tree and shrub seedlings for state game land use, participating Hunter Access cooperators, the Seedlings for Schools program and our conservation partners. Any remaining surplus is available to Pennsylvania residents for purchase for wildlife food and cover, watershed protection, soil erosion control, and for reclamation of disturbed areas, such as surface mine site and utility right-of-ways. The selection of seedlings changes from year to year due to available seed, seedling germination, or growing conditions.
In addition to making arrangements for landowners to pick up their seedling orders, the nursery also ships via United Parcel Service (UPS) for an additional fee. Orders are shipped Monday thru Wednesday to assure that your packages will not sit in an unrefrigerated warehouse over the weekend. Most orders are received the day after they are shipped. Generally, seedlings ship in the month of April. Please keep in mind that due to conditions beyond our control, such as ice and snow, wet weather, and frozen ground, we may not be able to ship trees as early as we would like. We will do everything we can do at the nursery to ensure timely shipping and arrival of trees.
Seedlings are packaged in units of approximately 25. During counting and grading, some smaller seedlings are not counted; the net result is that many units contain more than 25 seedlings. For customers that wish to pick up their seedlings at the Howard Nursery, orders are bundled with units of seedlings root to root and rolled in shipping paper with tops sticking out both ends. A roll can contain more than 500 seedlings. Depending on the size of the order, age of the seedlings, and the species, bundles will be 30 to 36 inches long, up to 20 inches in diameter, and weigh no more than 30 pounds
A conifer planting at the recommended tree spacing of 6 feet by 6 feet, will need 1,210 seedlings per acre.
A hardwood planting spaced at the minimum of 10 feet by 10 feet will need 435 seedlings per acre.
Black locust and shrubs planted at 8 feet by 8 feet will need 680 seedlings per acre.
To prevent unnecessary damage to tree seedlings by heat buildup and wind exposure seedlings should NOT be transported in open trucks or trailers. Seedlings may be transported in pickup trucks equipped with hard, ventilated caps or enclosed trailers with ventilation or air conditioning. Acceptable car transportation is inside your vehicle, not in the trunk. Air conditioning should be operated during seedling transport. In no case should seedling packages be stacked more than three high in any vehicle. Every effort should be made to ensure that packaged seedlings are not exposed to direct sunlight or wind during transport.
After transport, open bundles and ensure roots are moist. Roots and packing material should be cool and damp to touch but should not be soaking wet. Add water to roots (not tops) if necessary. Seedlings should be planted as soon as possible. They may be stored in a basement or other cool, dark area at 35 to 50° for up to one week.
The package should be opened immediately and inspected; plant roots should be moistened with water if necessary. Shipping containers can be used to carry seedlings to planting site. Please see the packing list on the outside of the shipping container for more detailed planting directions.
Detailed planting directions will be included with your packaged seedlings.
Bundles are not eligible for discount pricing nor do they count toward the required amount needed for any discounts. In the event that an item is unavailable at the time of shipping, an appropriate substitution will be made.