Bemidji Households Can Claim Up to 70 Free Tree Seedlings This May

Ten thousand free tree seedlings are heading to Bemidji this May, and each household can pre-order up to 70 of them before pickup day at the Sanford Center.

Let's Plant Trees, a regional reforestation nonprofit, added Bemidji to its spring distribution after co-founder Mike Nicklow heard directly from community members pushing for a local stop. The effort is aimed squarely at the canopy damage left by the June 2025 windstorm, giving residents a free, concrete way to start replacing lost trees this season.

Pickup is Saturday, May 16 at the Sanford Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Any stock remaining after pre-orders are fulfilled will be available walk-up on Sunday, May 17. Both days are rain-or-shine.

Seven species are on offer: red pine, white pine, tamarack, yellow birch, white cedar, red oak, and burr oak. The seedlings come from Farm & Forest Growers, a cooperative using southern Minnesota seed sources selected for climate adaptability in northern-woods conditions. The species variety is deliberate: a mixed canopy resists disease and drought far better than a monoculture replacement, which matters in a region where a single storm can wipe out decades of uniform plantings.

Quantities are limited, and organizers are urging households to pre-order through the Let's Plant Trees website rather than counting on the walk-up day. Seedlings need to go into the ground promptly and receive consistent watering through their first summer to survive.

Let's Plant Trees is also holding a separate distribution for Grand Rapids residents on May 30.