Salida Field Office – Seedling Trees
The Colorado State Forest Service seedling tree program enables farmers, ranchers and rural landowners to buy seedling trees at nominal cost.
Conservation Seedling orders can be placed with Chaffee County Extension at (719) 539-6447 or chaffee@ext.colostate.edu.
The program is designed to encourage landowners to plant effective wind barriers to protect buildings, cropland and feedlots, help prevent erosion, enhance wildlife habitat, promote reforestation, and assist with the development of Christmas tree plantations.
To participate, landowners must agree to not use the seedling trees for ornamental or landscaping purposes.
Please contact your local nursery for your ornamental needs. The seedling trees cannot be resold as living plants (the roots must be severed).
Seedling Trees & Seedling Survival Products
Seedling survival products are also available for purchase. Ordering survival products together with seedlings will ensure both are counted and ready when it is time to pick up seedlings.
Assistance with seedling selection and site planning is available directly from CSFS personnel. Planting trees and shrubs in the Upper Arkansas River Valley region takes special care and our personnel are available to plant seedlings and/or share tips learned over the years.
Call the Salida Field Office at (719) 539-2579 to inquire about a site visit from one of our foresters.
Seedling Guides & Resources
Trees for Conservation: A Buyers Guide (1.8 MB PDF) is available online or at the Salida Field Office. This publication provides useful information about growth form, crown density, size, drought resistance, cold hardiness, growth rate, life span, elevational range, soil conditions, possible insect and disease problems, wildlife value, seasonal color and other information.
The information also has been condensed and combined with additional facts into an easy-to-use Species Suitability Guide for Colorado (55 KB PDF).
For in-depth information on species in these publications, visit the USDA Plants Database website. You can search this database using either scientific or common names.
For more information, visit the Colorado State Forest Service Nursery.