By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Helping the environment and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) coffers are the dual goals of annual district tree sales, officials said.

“The main focus is to replace trees that have been removed for whatever reason. Maybe it was for a building, or for firewood or lumber,” said Wanda Bruner, office manager for the Kosciusko County SWCD. “The sales are also the main fundraiser for the district.”

Kosciusko County has had a tree sale for at least 25 years, Bruner said. They sell about 30,000 tree seedlings a year.

American Arborvitae, an evergreen, is one of the more popular trees the district sells because it may be used as a windbreak or for privacy, Bruner said.

White pine, another evergreen, is also popular, as is the tulip poplar, the state tree of Indiana.

“Over the years, people have put up quite a few trees around the lakes,” she said. “We’ve also seen quite a few go up in urban areas. People seem to be more educated about which kinds to plant in which areas.”

Evergreens are also popular in Allen County, said Bridget Witte, administrative assistant with the district.

“They’re what sells the most because they’re good for windbreaks,” she said.

This is the district’s second year to offer tree sales. Last year, 8,000 to 10,000 were sold, Witte said. Buyers were split about evenly between urban and rural, she said.

“We’re here to help with conservation, and putting trees on the land is a good way to do that,” she said. “It helps save the soil.”
The tree seedling sale also provides a financial benefit, she said.
“With the (funding) cutbacks and all of the financial things we‘re dealing with, it’s important for us to come up with ways to get more money,” she said. “But this is a win-win situation. We get some money and they help the environment.”

Not every SWCD offers a tree seedling sale, and some are offered in the fall. Several districts have sales underway, with order deadlines in March or April. For information, contact a local SWCD office.

Depending on the county, tree seedlings are offered in various amounts, such as bundles of five, 10 or 100. Some counties may also offer shrubs.

Farmers purchase white pine and American arborvitae from Elkhart County for use as windbreaks, said Jenny Brosius, secretary-treasurer for the county’s SWCD.

“Those are the most popular, as is the tulip poplar,” she said. “Every year, as we prepare for the sale, we look at what’s the most popular, and what native species will do well in this area. We’ve added the red twig dogwood because of requests.”

This is the district’s fourth sale. It provides money to the district for educational programs, she said.

The Elkhart SWCD works with the Michiana Master Gardens on the sale.

“Without the master gardeners, this wouldn’t be possible,” she said. “They’re the manpower, and we do the bookwork.”
Last year, about 8,000 seedlings were sold, but sales are down so far this year, Brosius said.

“The economy has caused the sale to be so slow this year,” she said. “But usually we get bombarded toward the end of February and the beginning of March, so we’re hoping that happens again this year.”

In addition to farmers, homeowners with some land in town or in a rural area, are also customers, Brosius said.

Noble County’s SWCD uses the money from tree sales to fund conservation education workshops, farmer workshops and farm programs, said Stacey McGinnis, the county’s SWCD manager.
The district sold 6,000 to 8,000 trees last year, she said. Their most popular trees are white pine, norway spruce and blue spruce. The district’s sale is in its tenth year.

“Growing trees puts carbon and oxygen in the air,” she said. “It’s a long-term conservation practice.”

The average sale size is 50 to 80 trees, she said.
Adams County combines with Wells and Huntington counties to offer a fall sale, said Kelli Fuhrmann, administrative assistant with the Adams SWCD.

“We’re here to promote conservation and there’s lots of ways trees can help the environment,” she said. “We can also make some money to fund other projects.”

Last year, the three counties sold about 200 trees, she said.