About the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery
Established in 1927 on the DNRC Missoula Campus, the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery produces native plant materials for conservation, restoration, and preservation projects.
With a capacity to grow more than one million seedlings annually, the Nursery continues to expand its production and programs to meet the needs of our partners and the public. We use only wild-collected, high-quality, eco-type appropriate seeds, and select seedlings for their survivability and genetic fitness.
What We Do
Conservation & Restoration
The Nursery supports a variety of conservation efforts, including post-fire recovery, erosion control, species diversification, and more. We grow trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants for private landowners, conservation organizations, county conservation districts, Tribes, and state and federal agencies.
Seedling Sale
Annually, we open a first-come, first-served general sale for seedlings available for pick-up or delivery in the following spring. Customers needing 1,000+ seedlings are encouraged to set up a contract with the Nursery for tailored orders.
Place an order between January 20 - April 1 2025
Montana Native Seed Network
In addition to seedlings, the Nursery's Montana Native Seed Network is a seed-production program offering bulk seeds and native wildflower and grass seed mixes.
Nursery staff, contractors, and private landowners collect wild Montana seed that is appropriate for the eco-region. When unavailable, source-identified seed is acquired from reputable suppliers. We also maintain Montana-adapted seed orchards at the nursery site to ensure long-term availability of these native plant materials.
Nursery Highlight
Wild seed cleaning | Winter 2024
Through the Montana Native Seed Network, DNRC brings together public and private conservation practitioners dedicated to the native seed industry. By working together with partners, the Nursery produces genetically rich, eco-type seed sourced from wild plant populations. The seed is accessible to all partners and customers to restore and enhance Montana’s ecosystems.
In this video, Kylie Brown, Native Seed Program Coordinator, demonstrates how the Nursery cleans and processes a small wild-collected population of Heterotheca villosa, also known as hairy goldenaster.