More than 102 million trees have been planted through Nebraska’s conservation tree program since 1972.

Don McCabe

Nebraska is known as the “Tree Planters State” and the home of Arbor Day, the National Arbor Day Foundation and Arbor Lodge in Nebraska City, arguably the birthplace of tree-planting efforts in the state and the nation. 

Yet the few trees early settlers found on the treeless plains were willows and cottonwood growing along rivers and creeks.

Nebraska landowners and organizations since those early days have planted millions of trees. A bountiful source of tree planting since 1972 has been the state’s 23 Natural Resources Districts via the Conservation Tree Program. 

Since that time, the program has sold more than 102 million seedings to landowners in Nebraska, said Megan Grimes, public relations director for the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts. That year, 1972, was also the year the NRDs were created, and all 23 of them still participate in the program.

Start at Bessey

More than 90% of the seedlings planted are grown at Charles E. Bessey Tree Nursery at the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, as a partnership with the Nebraska Forest Service.

Benefits from these trees across the state are many, including soil conservation, wildlife habitat, crop and livestock protection, home shelters, and added beauty to the landscape.

“Two million trees were sold in the first year of the program, and that number branched out to 2.5 million 20 years later in 1992,” Grimes said. “It remains a popular program, but by 2025, the seedlings planted in the program declined to about 600,000.

“Much of the earlier plantings by the NRDs were for windbreaks and included a high percentage of eastern red cedar and shrubs,” she explained. “Windbreaks remain a popular use, but many of those earlier windbreaks have aged and need rehabilitating or replaced. The program can aid in that rehabilitation.”

Today, more of the windbreaks include Colorado blue spruce or Rocky Mountain juniper, Grimes added.

The program offers acreages and urban seedling packages as well.

The lack of federal funding through the farm bill in recent years is another factor in stalling new tree planting, said Scott Theis, operations manager at the Lower Big Blue NRD, who has run the district’s tree program for 25 years.

“Years when commodity prices were high resulted in the removal of some windbreaks and shelterbelts,” he said. “Drought has had an impact, too.”

Time to order trees

Districts begin selling trees in fall for planting the following spring, Grimes said. She said that costs range from $1 to $1.20 per seeding for a bundle of 25 seedings at NRDs. These districts in some cases share some of that cost. NRD staff often work with landowners to choose the appropriate tree species for the local area, create planting plans and, in many cases, handle the planting.

At the Lower Big Blue NRD, Theis said his district charges $1.50 per tree, if the district does the planting.

Landowners can choose from about 50 tree species and nearly 30 shrub species, depending on their area of the state. 

Grimes said Lincoln-based Executive Travel, with its ETGreen campaign, has been another contributor to NRD tree-planting efforts. In 2021, the campaign made a pledge to plant 1 million trees. This partnership funded nearly 207,000 plantings between 2022 and 2025. Executive Travel committed another $50,000 for 2026. 

“The funds offset seedling costs for Nebraska landowners while supporting the company’s tree-planting goal,” Grimes said.

She noted that popular tree species sell out quickly, so don’t miss the opportunity to order early for the best selection. To learn more, get in touch with your local NRD or visit nrdnet.org.