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Sierra National Forest offers seedling program to residents in mountain areaFree Access


 

 

The Bass Lake Ranger District is set to begin its 2020 reforestation program.

During the next two months, contract and Forest Service crews will be planting approximately 700 acres focusing on the areas of the 2014 French Fire. Approximately 200 to 320 seedlings per acre will be planted, totaling up to 175,000 seedlings on the district during this period.

Openings will be planted with a mixture of ponderosa pine, incense cedar and sugar pine trees.

Foothill residents in the North Fork/Oakhurst/Mariposa area are welcome to participate in the spring planting program by planting ponderosa pine seedlings on their property. The Bass Lake Ranger District North Fork office has bare root one-year old ponderosa pine seedlings available for adoption.

These seedlings are excess to the district reforestation program this year. Persons wishing to adopt seedlings may obtain five to 20 at a time from the Sierra National Forest’s Bass Lake Ranger District office in North Fork, California.

To minimize moisture and heat stress, seedlings should be kept cool and transported in an ice chest with the roots covered with a moist towel and planted the same day, when possible. Instructions on how to plant the seedlings will be included during pick up. These seedlings are meant to be planted on private property.

Seedlings are grown from seed picked a number of years in advance by the Forest Service, and stored at Forest Service nurseries. In order to accomplish large reforestation objectives, seedlings are ordered one to two years in advance of planting. Trees being planted were grown at the Placerville nursery. The blister rust resistant sugar pine being planted is grown as one-year old containerized stock.

These seedlings are grown in tubes measuring about 1” by 6” in green houses.

The Bass Lake Ranger District office in North Fork, located at 57003 Road 225, is open Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 pm.

For more information on seedling adoption, contact the North Fork office at (559) 877-2218.

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