Place orders starting Sept. 1 at mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-seedlings. Supplies are limited.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Need trees and shrubs for your landscape? Go native with tree and shrub seedlings from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Native trees and shrubs can help improve wildlife habitat and soil and water conservation while also improving the appearance and value of private property.
MDC’s George O. White State Forest Nursery offers a variety of low-cost native tree and shrub seedlings for sale for reforestation, windbreaks, erosion control, wildlife food and cover, and other purposes.
Seedling orders can be placed online beginning Sept. 1 through April 15, 2027, at mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/tree-seedlings.
The nursery provides mainly one-year-old, bare-root seedlings with sizes varying by species. Seedlings varieties include pine, bald cypress, cottonwood, black walnut, hickory, oak, persimmon, river birch, maple, willow, sycamore, blackberry, buttonbush, hazelnut, redbud, ninebark, elderberry, sumac, wild plum, witch hazel, and others. MDC recommends ordering early for the best selection.
“The nursery grows millions of seedlings each year, but some species are very popular and sell out quickly,” said Forest Nursery Supervisor Mike Fiaoni. “And some seedlings occasionally succumb to harsh weather or hungry wildlife, despite the nursery staff’s best efforts.”
Fiaoni added that even if a species is listed as “sold out,” customers can still place an order for those seedlings because other orders may get cancelled, freeing up inventory. Customers won’t be charged for seedlings unless they are available to ship.
Seedlings are available in bundles of 10 or increments of 25 per species. Prices range from 44 cents to $2.75 per seedling. Sales tax will be added to orders unless tax exempt. There is a shipping fee and a $9 handling charge for each order. Receive a 15% discount up to $20 off seedling orders with a Conservation ID Number. Orders will be shipped or can be picked up at the nursery, located near Licking, from mid-February through mid-May.
With rising costs to run the nursery, MDC has needed to increase all seedling prices by 10 percent. In addition, some plant species take two years to grow with nursery staff spending twice the funds to apply two years’ worth of fertilizer and weed control. In the past MDC charged the same amount as the species that take one year to grow. MDC will be increasing the price for two-year-old seedlings of eastern white pine, hickories, pawpaw, buckeyes, deciduous holly, and American beautyberry.
Learn more from MDC’s 2026-2027 Seedling Order Form. Find a link to it in the September issue of the Missouri Conservationist. Get copies at MDC regional offices and nature centers or contact the State Forest Nursery at 573-674-3229 or StateForestNursery@mdc.mo.gov.
