NH State Forest Nursery seedling sales top last year’s records

As more people connect with the outdoors, sales at the New Hampshire State Forest Nursery continue to grow.

Total nursery sales rose 14.2 percent to $220,481 over 2020, which itself was a record year. The nursery shipped 238,155 seedlings, an increase of 27,990 from last year.

The percentage of orders totaling $100 held steady at 66 percent, indicating that consumers continue to work on smaller projects.

Unusual for the 2021 season was how quickly orders were placed. Christmas tree species, specifically balsam and fraser fir, sold out by the end of December and early January.

By the end of January, more than 1,000 orders had been processed; the previous benchmark was 660 orders. Seventy-seven percent of the species and packages offered were sold out before seedlings began to be removed from seedbeds in the spring and processed for shipping.

Nursery stock is grown on site at the nursery from seed and is not imported or transplanted from other sources, ensuring that it is well adapted to the New Hampshire climate. Ninety-four percent of orders in 2021 came from New England customers, with 73 percent from New Hampshire.

Seedlings sold at the State Forest Nursery can be used for wildlife food and habitat, erosion control, reforestation, hedgerows for wind and snow breaks, wetland plantings, site reclamation and as Christmas tree growing stock, as well as for decorative purposes.

Each year, the State Forest Nursery grows three million seedlings on 16 acres of irrigated, outdoor seedbeds; it also has 20 acres dedicated to seed orchards and testing areas. The nursery is located within the 880 acre state forest in Boscawen.

For more information about New Hampshire’s State Forest Nursery, including how to be added to the mailing list to receive the 2022 catalog, visit nh.gov/nursery.

Established in 1910, the N.H. State Forest Nursery’s mission is to grow and distribute quality, bare-root seedlings for forestry, conservation and education purposes. The Nursery facility and program are administered by the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands, which is part of the N.H. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. For more information about the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands, visit nh.gov/nhdfl.