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Conifer seedlings grow in a greenhouse at that Colorado State University State Forest Nursery on the Colorado State University Foothill Campus.

The Nursery has concluded its spring 2022 seedling sales

Thank you for a successful spring 2022 seedling season. We have sold out of all stock for this spring, and will be fulfilling orders through the end of the season. We are re-evaluating the remaining stock at the nursery, and should there be additional plants we feel are ready for sale, we will make these available for purchase beginning June 1.

Additionally, we’ll be hard at work over the coming months in the hope of being able to offer additional stock for purchase this coming fall, and in preparing for next spring’s seedling sales.

Trees for Conservation

Seedlings grow a greenhouse at the Colorado State Forest Service Seedling Tree Nursery.Few conservation efforts provide the extensive and enduring benefits of planting seedling trees. Seedling trees help:

  • Reforest burned areas
  • Enhance wildlife habitat
  • Reduce soil erosion
  • Protect water supplies
  • Serve as living snow fences that provide protection from wind and snow

Growing low-cost seedlings for Colorado landowners is vital to meeting the state’s conservation goals.

Working with Landowners

The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Nursery, located on the Foothills Campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, is the state’s leader in producing low-cost, Colorado-grown seedling trees and shrubs for conservation purposes. The CSFS Nursery produces more than 40 species, all selected for their hardiness and adaptability, which are ideal for landowners and land managers to use for conservation in Colorado’s diverse environments.

Situated on 130 acres managed for field production of bare-root seedlings, the nursery also uses 18,000 square feet of greenhouse space for container plant production. Nursery staff continuously conduct trials to identify new species that will address landowner needs.

Covering Conservation

The seedling program allows farmers, ranchers, other landowners and land managers to obtain trees at a nominal cost to help achieve conservation goals, including:

  • Restoration after wildfire, flood and other natural disturbances
  • Growing shelterbelts, windbreaks and living snow fences
  • Creating and enhancing wildlife habitat
  • Protecting homes, cropland, livestock and highways
  • Increasing erosion control
  • Practicing “backyard” conservation that promotes clean air and water

Sharing Knowledge

Conservation and sustainability are the nursery’s primary goals, with a commitment to community, stewardship and cooperation.

The nursery supports education about conservation practices – particularly to Colorado youth – through tours, field trips, workshops and community engagement.

The CSFS Nursery works with Colorado State University and other partners on research that examines the state’s most pressing natural resource issues.

Nursery staff share findings from plant trials, seed stratification tests and similar research to contribute knowledge to cooperating agencies.

Take a Virtual Tour

Discover the behind-the-scenes activity at our Fort Collins facility by visiting our Take a Quick Tour of the Nursery page.

You’ll learn about:

  • Greenhouse production
  • Bare root production
  • Lifting
  • Conservation efforts

The CSFS Nursery offers hardy plants specifically tailored for individual riparian site improvement.

Riparian plants are grown in deep tubes to establish substantial root masses that can easily access subsurface moisture.

CSFS growers rely on knowledge gained from growing plants for landscapes damaged in the massive 2013 flooding.

That understanding ensures success with today’s riparian restoration projects.

The CSFS Nursery can focus on time-sensitive, specialty growing by adapting production plans to meet the needs of customers. Partnerships to restore sage grouse habitat in western Colorado highlight one of the many custom grow efforts led by the nursery.

Regardless of the size of a project, the nursery can accommodate specialty plant grows including:

  • Site-specific plant requirements
  • Habitat restoration
  • Vegetative harvests
  • Propagation and emergency grows to support extreme site disturbance

The CSFS Nursery is proud to be the only facility currently offering large storage services for seed, plant material and vegetative harvests to northern Colorado and the Front Range.

The nursery boasts 6,700 square feet of stackable, refrigerated space for long- or short-term storage.

Prices are based on space requirements and additional services the nursery can provide, such as scales, forklifts and after-hours access.