The Nature Conservancy plants over 3 million trees in Northern MN

Northern Minnesota’s forests are home to more than 3 million new tree seedlings thanks to the Nature Conservancy’s largest-ever tree planting season in Minnesota.

The organization said in a news release that the seedlings will help forests recover from fire and disease, adapt to future conditions and offer healthy habitat for wildlife.

The Nature Conservancy partnered with the Superior and Chippewa National Forests, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Lake, St. Louis and Carlton counties.

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The Nature Conservancy

“All of these partners understand the importance of not just thinking about today, but thinking about 20, 50 and 100 years from now,” said Ann Mulholland, the Nature Conservancy chapter director in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Projections suggest Northern Minnesota’s future climate will resemble the current climate in southern parts of the state, according to the news release.

Crews planted 20 different species, including white pine, white spruce, red pine, red oak, jack pine, white cedar, paper birch and yellow birch.

Some of the planted seedlings come from those more southern areas in the hopes that they’ll be well-suited for a changing climate.

Diversity is also important for future-proofing forests. Tree species differ in how well they endure threats such as wildfire, pests and disease, making diverse forests more likely to withstand these challenges.

“We had 58 crew members who planted these 3.2 million seedlings over just under 50 days in our spring planting season, which means they each planted about 50,000 trees as seedlings,” Mulholland said. “These crew are nothing short of elite athletes.”

Mulholland said those doing the work might never see its impact firsthand, but they know future generations could.

“What makes me the proudest is this long-term view of ensuring that our forests are resilient for our kids, for our grandkids and for all of the ecological benefits that our forests provide,” she said.

According to Mulholland, the Nature Conservancy plans to plant more than 17 million trees by 2030 — a goal she hopes is blown out of the water.

Stella Mayerhoff is a Report for America corps member, covering Minnesota’s headwaters region for KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.