
See the current Inventory & Price List for seedling sources and availability.
Further seed source info and scientific names are available by contacting the nursery.
Average Seedling Height By Age: |
1 year old |
10-16"
|
|
2 years old |
12-22" |
|
3 years old |
16-26" |
Many of our species are produced from MITOSIS seed. MITOSIS is the Montana Interagency Tree and Shrub Improvement Study. The study was a cooperative effort to evaluate the performance of various species of plants in established Montana plantings. The selected plantings were evaluated for over ten years and the best performing plants were selected for seed orchard establishment at the nursery.
We use this seed source whenever possible. These selections perform well in many of Eastern Montana's variable and harsh climates. Although these plants have not been tested in every environment, MITOSIS selections are some of the best plant materials available for use in Montana. The selections are proven to survive in Montana because they were evaluated in Montana not other Northern Great Plains states.

|
Douglas Fir for East of Divide |
Pseudotsuga menziesii |
Growth Rate |
Slow |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
12' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Poor |
Elevation Range |
4,000 to 7,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
14" |
Wildlife Value |
Good nesting cover, fair food |
Pests |
Bark beetles, spruce budworm, tussock moth |
Comments |
Drought tolerant once established but grows best on good sites. Use for reforestation and windbreaks. |
 |
Douglas Fir for West of Divide |
Pseudotsuga menziesii |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
15' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Poor |
Elevation Range |
3,500 to 7,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
14" |
Wildlife Value |
Good nesting cover, fair food |
Pests |
Bark beetles, spruce budworm, tussock moth |
Comments |
Drought tolerant once established but grows best on good sites. Use for reforestation and windbreaks. |
 |
Juniper, Rocky Mountain |
Juniperus scopulorum |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
High |
20-Year Height |
12' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Good |
Elevation Range |
Up to 6,500' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
6-12' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
10" |
Wildlife Value |
Good nesting, food and cover for birds and mammals |
Pests |
Cedar apple rust |
Comments |
Excellent in wildlife plantings. Very drought and alkali tolerant. Transplants well. Genetically selected seed for cold hardiness and faster growth. |
 |
Larch, Western |
Larix occidentalis |
Growth Rate |
Moderate-fast |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
18' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Poor |
Elevation Range |
3,000-7,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
15" |
Wildlife Value |
Fair nesting and food, poor cover and browse |
Pests |
Larch casebearer, needle diseases, larch sawfly |
Comments |
Prevalent in western Montana on mid elevation slopes. Rapid growth on good sites once established. Commonly used for reforestation. |
 |
Pine, Austrian |
Pinus nigra |
Growth Rate |
Moderate-Fast |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
17' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Fair |
Elevation Range |
Up to 5,000' |
Life Span |
60+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14" |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
12" |
Wildlife Value |
Good bird nesting cover, poor browse |
Pests |
Pine tip moths, Dothistroma needlecast |
Comments |
A good tree for windbreaks, will not drop lower branches. Adapts well to many soil types. |
 |
Pine, Limber |
Pinus flexilis |
Growth Rate |
Slow |
Cold Hardiness |
High |
20-Year Height |
8' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Poor |
Elevation Range |
4,000-7,000 |
Life Span |
Poor |
Windbreak Spacing |
6-12' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
10" |
Wildlife Value |
Large seeds are excellent food source. Good nesting cover. |
Pests |
White pine blister rust |
Comments |
Very hardy and slow growing. Use where other evergreens can't survive. Elevations will be lower west of the Divide. |
 |
Pine, Lodgepole |
Pinus contorta var. latifolia |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
High |
20-Year Height |
17' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Fair |
Elevation Range |
4,000-8500' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
14" |
Wildlife Value |
Good nesting and thermal cover |
Pests |
Dwarf mistletoe, pine beetle, western gall rust, commandra rust |
Comments |
Used mostly for reforestation and reclamation of dry, high altitude sites. |
 |
Pine, Ponderosa for East of Divide |
Pinus ponderosa |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
15' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Fair |
Elevation Range |
3,000-6,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
11" |
Wildlife Value |
Birds and small mammals eat seeds. Provides some cover. |
Pests |
Western gall rust, commandra rust, pine beetles. |
Comments |
The selected seed source is adapted to eastern Montana. Drought tolerant. Wide usage for windbreaks and reforestation. |
 |
Pine, Ponderosa for West of Divide |
Pinus ponderosa |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
17' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Fair |
Elevation Range |
Up to 6,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14" |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
12" |
Wildlife Value |
Birds and small mammals eat seeds. Provides some cover. |
Pests |
Western gall rust, commandra rust, pine beetles. |
Comments |
Great tree for reforestation as well as windbreaks. Choose seed source and elevations that best fit planting site. Drought tolerant. |
 |
Pine, Scotch |
Pinus sylvestris |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
17' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Fair |
Elevation Range |
Up to 5,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
12" |
Wildlife Value |
Provides nesting and thermal cover |
Pests |
Bark beetles, not significant |
Comments |
Adapts well to lower elevation sites. Fast growing conifer. Uses - Christmas trees, windbreaks. |
 |
Pine, Western White |
Pinus monticola |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
18' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Poor |
Elevation Range |
3,000-6,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-12' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
14" |
Wildlife Value |
Birds and small mammals eat seeds. Provides some cover. |
Pests |
White Pine Blister Rust but we only grow from blister rust resistant seed. |
Comments |
Once common in far Western Montana but many killed by Blister Rust. Our seed source is Blister Rust resistant. A beautiful five needle pine. |
 |
Red cedar, Western |
Thuja plicata |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
20' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Poor |
Elevation Range |
2,000 to 5,000' |
Life Span |
100+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
N/A |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
24" |
Wildlife Value |
Good cover for wildlife |
Pests |
No major pests |
Comments |
Shade tolerant native tree found on low elevation moist sites with cool summers and mild winters. It occupies moist canyons and flats and does not do well on open dry sites. |
 |
Spruce, Black Hills |
Picea glauca var. densata |
Growth Rate |
Slow |
Cold Hardiness |
High |
20-Year Height |
12' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Fair |
Elevation Range |
Up to 6,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
12" |
Wildlife Value |
Excellent nesting cover |
Pests |
Spider mites, spruce needle miner, spruce sawfly |
Comments |
Dense crown is good for windbreaks, slow initial growth, color varies from green to slightly blue. |
 |
Spruce, Colorado Blue |
Picea pungens |
Growth Rate |
Moderate |
Cold Hardiness |
Medium |
20-Year Height |
15' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Fair |
Elevation Range |
Up to 6,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
12" |
Wildlife Value |
Excellent nesting cover, poor browse |
Pests |
Spruce gall aphid, spider mites |
Comments |
Dense crown is good for windbreaks, slow initial growth, color varies from green to slightly blue. |
 |
Spruce, Engelmann |
Picea engelmannii |
Growth Rate |
Slow |
Cold Hardiness |
High |
20-Year Height |
14' |
Alkali/Saline Soil Tolerance |
Poor |
Elevation Range |
3,500-9,000' |
Life Span |
80+ years |
Windbreak Spacing |
8-14' |
Minimum Annual Precip. |
15" |
Wildlife Value |
Excellent nesting and thermal cover, food source for small animals |
Pests |
Spruce budworm, spruce gall aphid, tussock moth, bark beetles |
Comments |
A high elevation tree, needs more water at the lower end of the elevation range. Used for reforestation and reclamation of high elevation, wet sites. |