| Contact Information | Date |
|---|---|
| For Immediate Release Contact: John Campbell 434.220.9070 or 434.989.0665 |
Mar. 17, 2009 VDOF 09012 |
State Nurseries See Decline In Seedling Sales,
Store still open for four more weeks
The nation’s economic slowdown has reached the forests of Virginia. Officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) said that sales of tree seedlings are down about 30% from the previous year. Of the 32 million seedlings planted, 22.6 million have already sold. Of the 9.5 million still available, the bulk of them, about 8.5 million, are pines. The rest are hardwood species. The VDOF grows 45 species of pine and hardwood tree seedlings each year.
“Most seedlings are sold to landowners to reforest their land,” said John Carroll, deputy state forester. “Our research programs develop high-quality seedlings that grow faster and straighter than other varieties of seedlings.” He added, “The nurseries are self-funding, and we make every effort to keep our operating margins reasonable as well as to stay competitive.” Carroll noted that the nurseries said the sales declines reflect similar declines across the south and nationwide.
Though sales have declined overall, several species, including Black Cherry, Red Maple, Sycamore, Crab Apple and Yellow Poplar, have already sold out. Approximately 40 species of seedlings are still available and can be purchased either by mail or online. Visit the VDOF Web site at http://www.dof.virginia.gov to place an order.
The VDOF grows all of its seedlings on two sites in Virginia. The Augusta Forestry Center in Crimora raises hardwoods and softwoods in seedbeds covering 100 acres. The Garland Gray Forestry Center in Courtland has 80 acres of sandy soils, which are ideal for pine seedling production.
-30-
The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]