‘Let’s Plant Trees’ Distributing 10,000 Free Seedlings to Bemidji Residents

As part of an effort called Reforest Bemidji, the Let’s Plant Trees organization is bringing 10,000 free tree seedlings to Bemidji area residents this spring.

The commitment from the organization was made to support local reforestation and make it easy for residents to plant trees and be a part of restoring tree canopies across the community. Following last year’s wind storm in the Bemidji area that toppled millions of trees, Let’s Plant Trees executives hope this can give residents a simple and meaningful way to replant and rebuild.

“This has been a work in process for quite some time,” Let’s Plant Trees co-founder Mike Nicklow told Lakeland News. “This season, we’re actually giving away 50,000 tree seedlings to community members across northern Minnesota, and Bemidji originally was not included in that. But members of the community were reaching out to us and talking to us and saying, ‘You know what, can you help? What can you do for us?’ And we got together and decided there’s no way that we could say ‘no’ to Bemidji.”

Households may receive up to 70 free tree seedlings and choose between seven species of trees, while supplies last. Those who place pre-orders should plan to pick up their seedlings on Saturday, May 16 at Bemidji’s Sanford Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public release of anything else remaining will be on Sunday, May 17, which will be held rain or shine.

“This season, we’re giving away red pine, white pine, tamarack, yellow birch, white cedar, red oak, burr oak,” added Nicklow. “We work with a couple different distributors on that, in terms of the seedlings, and those come from Farm & Forest Growers, and that’s actually a co-op of farmers, which happens in the northern communities. And those seeds are acquired from southern Minnesota, so they’re climate adaptable, and then they’re grown in the northern communities.”

A website for Bemidji area pre-orders has set up here.

Another distribution event by Let’s Plant Trees will be held for Grand Rapids area residents later that month on Saturday, May 30 at the Minnesota North College-Itasca campus.