Division of Forestry Nursery Opens for Tree Seedling Orders Sept. 1

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry's (TDF) East Tennessee Nursery (ETN) will open for tree seedling orders at 9 a.m. ET on Sept. 1, 2026. Orders will be accepted through 5 p.m. ET March 15, 2027 or while supplies last. More than three dozen native hardwood, pine and shrub species will be available for purchase, including species suited to streambank restoration.

"ETN gives landowners, municipalities and organizations across the state an affordable way to restore and strengthen their rural and urban forests," State Forester Heather Slayton said. "Efforts to plant trees contribute to the resilience of our state's forests and the stabilization and revitalization of streambanks heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene."

Each year, ETN cultivates millions of native trees and shrubs and sells seedlings in bulk to public, municipal, nonprofit and private organizations, as well as individuals. The seedlings are grown from seed collected within 50 miles of Tennessee's borders, making them well suited to Tennessee's soils and climate.

Popular species offered by ETN include hybrid chestnut, white oak, shagbark hickory and shortleaf pine. In addition, ETN offers species suitable for streambank restoration, including buttonbush, water tupelo, baldcypress, swamp white oak and persimmon.

Visit East Tennessee Nursery - Tree Seedlings to purchase seedlings online beginning Sept. 1, 2026.

Financial assistance is available to qualified landowners and municipalities to help offset the cost of seedling purchases. Available programs include:

· The ProMark (formerly D'Addario) program supports the sustainability of hickory and oak in Tennessee.
· The Huber Engineered Woods LLC program funds the purchase of loblolly pine 2.0 seedlings.
· The Tree City USA recognition program enables eligible municipalities to acquire 200 seedlings in bundles of 100 per species.

Each program has its own eligibility requirements, and some require a forest management plan.

Individuals and organizations interested in the ProMark or Huber programs should contact their local area forester through the TDF Staff Directory online to learn more about these programs and their eligibility requirements.

Municipalities interested in the Tree City USA recognition program should contact [email protected] for more information.

The Division of Forestry protects and promotes the responsible use of forest resources in Tennessee. Focus areas include assisting landowners with a variety of services, providing quality tree seedlings, supporting forest health programs, collecting forest inventory data, assisting forest industries and fighting wildland fires.