Seedling ordering starts Jan. 10

Virginia’s tree seedling store opens at 10 a.m. next Tuesday (Jan. 10). Orders may be placed online at buyvatrees.com or by calling the Augusta Forestry Center at 540-3637000.

“We grew and sold 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.”

The top loblolly pine varieties offered this season include Control Pollinated (CP) priced at $135 per 1,000 tree seedlings and are limited to 25,000 seedlings per customer. Virginia’s Best are selling at $105 per 1,000 and Elite at $85 per 1,000 seedlings; both varieties will be limited to 50,000 per customer. These prices include pesticide treatment for Pales weevils.

In addition to pine seedlings, Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) nurseries offer 45 other species of tree seedlings for sale to Virginia landowners. These other species include dogwood, apple, bald cypress, maples and nine species of oaks. “We also have several specialty seedling packs that are designed for specific uses, such as riparian buffer establishment, wildlife habitat enhancement and quail management,” said Funk.

Payment must be made at the time of purchase. If placing an order by phone or online, 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 our 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 dof.virginia.gov, or you can access the link on our Facebook page (Virginia State Nurseries),” said Funk.