Landowners interested in increasing the number of hardwood trees on their property will have the opportunity once again to get seedlings at a low cost through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. The 2010 Acorns for Wildlife Program non-profit program is under way. MDWFP annually offers hardwood seedlings at a low cost through the program to enrich private and public wildlife habitat.

A bag of 50 one-year-old, bare-root oak seedlings of numerous species including white, cherry bark, shumbard, swamp chestnut (cow oak), water and nuttall are available for $35.

Each seedling is grown according to specific protocol from acorns hand-selected by MDWFP personnel to help ensure the best possible survival and growth.

To further assist the seedlings’ development into healthy adult trees, the program is providing customers with information concerning proper planting techniques, and fertilizer packets are included with each order.

Once the nurtured seedlings have reached the hands and properties of customers, each oak has the opportunity to develop and produce growth and new acorns. Those acorns will become a food source for wild turkeys, deer and other wildlife species, and in turn lead to a betterment of wildlife habitat.

Landowners interested in participating in the program can call the MDWFP office at 601-432-2199, or download an order from www.mdwfp.com.

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Contact Everett Bexley at ebexley@vicksburgpost.com