Icing protects trees at Webster Forest Nursery

: Gently sprayed layers of water for protective ice on acres of seedlings at DNR’s Webster Forest Nursery November 23, 2010. Photo: John Trobaugh, DNR

During winter and spring, DNR sends crews out to replant state trust lands where timber has been harvested to earn revenue for public schools and other trust beneficiaries. There are 2.1 million acres of state trust forests statewide, managed sustainably. It takes millions of seedlings to do this big job each year, with 14 species custom grown for numerous different growing zones across the state. Each year, millions of these seedlings are grown at DNR’s 44-acre Webster Forest Nursery, where every precaution is taken to get the seedlings off to a healthy head start.

When very cold weather was anticipated on November 23, 2010, DNR crews got to work. By gently showering the tender seedlings with a mist of water and continuously reapplying, several layers of light ice were built up to protect seedlings from the hard freeze, which is unusual in the moderate climate of Tumwater in western Washington.

Starting on the morning of November 23, DNR crews worked in shifts around the clock for 34 hours tending to sprinklers and water lines to keep them from freezing. Two shifts of workers were out in temperatures that dropped at one point to 13 degrees (F). The work continued until 1:30 a.m. November 24.

Just part of the job at DNR.

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