Tree Seedling Rescues

WMTP PlanTing Project

Native Tree Seedling Rescues

WMTP Plants Unwanted Native Tree Seedlings from Local Yards and Parks to Protected Lands Where They’ll Thrive

The idea is simple: Thousands of unwanted but healthy young native tree seedlings are destroyed every year in Whatcom County. Why not transplant some of them to where they can thrive, such as in one of our planting projects?

WMTP occasionally holds volunteer work parties to do exactly that at large sites, such as on November 12, 2022 at Big Rock Garden Park with the Bellingham Parks & Recreation Department and Friends of Big Rock Garden Park (FBRGP) where we repurposed over two dozen native tree seedlings.

Individual homeowners also can contribute native tree seedlings to us. Especially in conifer-laden lands such as Sudden Valley, homeowners typically have lots of small evergreen tree seedlings sprouting on their property every year. Most folks just yank them out or weed whack them by the dozens. Now there is an eco-friendly alternative: mindfully pot them and then give them to us!

Tree Seedling Rescue Steps:

STEP 1: For this program, we are currently only interested 12″-24″ tall seedlings of the following tree species:

• Douglas fir
• Grand fir
• Sitka spruce
• Western red cedar
• Bigleaf maple

Unsure which specie(s) you have? See here for tree identification help. If your seedlings are smaller than 12″ in height above the soil, please keep them in the ground for another year, if possible, before providing them to us.

STEP 2: During a colder month (late October through February) when tree seedlings are dormant, dig out each seedling wide enough and deep enough to capture all of its root mass.

STEP 3: Pot each seedling in a one-gallon or larger plastic container (such as black plastic pots typically used by nurseries, usually freely available). Please follow these potting instructions carefully. Due to volunteer staffing/time constraints, we will not be able to re-pot your tree if it is poorly potted — it will be discarded.

STEP 4: Contact us to arrange a convenient delivery location and time for you to bring the potted seedling(s) to us.

We’ll use the donated seedlings to supplement what we purchase each year for our planting projects. Some may also be used for fundraising or given to homeowners in neighborhoods with less tree canopy, thus improving neighborhood “tree equity” and environmental/social justice within Bellingham.

Thanks!

Volunteer Opportunities

• Want to volunteer in a future WMTP tree planting work party? Meet other tree-lovers, enjoy fresh air, have fun, and contribute to a an important cause. Please join our work party contact list!

Related Links/Resources

• Tree Identification Guide
• Seedling Potting Instructions