The nursery is known throughout the region as producing very high-quality seedlings

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R1-Northern Region awarded $250,000 to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on March 6, 2026, under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act Nursery Vegetation program (CFDA 10.736) to modernize a state tree seedling nursery facility.

The recipient will use grant funds to support greenhouse operations and increase containerized seedling production capacity by at least 20 percent. Specific deliverables include contractual expenses for galvanizing production tables to extend their service life, purchase of supplies and materials for seedling production and cold storage, and metal for fabricating new greenhouse growing tables. These capital improvements and equipment upgrades are designed to increase germination rates, survival rates, and overall seedling quality at the nursery.

Performance occurs in Montana with a period of performance extending through June 30, 2030. The assistance type is a project grant, awarded non-competitively to an eligible state forestry agency under a program that funds facility and equipment modernization for state and tribal tree seedling nurseries and tree orchards.

The nursery anticipates that efficiency gains will translate into higher germination rates, higher survival rates and better seedling quality. This funding will support the new greenhouse with additional supplies in preparation for production. Grant funds are proposed to cover contractual expenses for galvanizing the production table. Galvanization greatly increases the service life of production tables and provides significant cost savings in the long term. The combination of the already completed and planned grant investments will increase current containerized seedling capacity by at least 20 percent. Funds from this grant would also be used to purchase supplies and materials for seedling production and cold storage, as well as metal for fabricating much needed new greenhouse growing tables.