See the current Inventory & Price List for seedling sources and availability.

Further seed source info and scientific names are available by contacting the nursery.

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 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.