Cultivating Your Own Sugar Pine Seedlings….even on the East Coast

One of our most recent sugar pine devotees is Raymond Stankowski, a man from Eastern Connecticut who found out about our organization this past spring when researching new tree species that he might plant on his property. Although sugar pines only grow on the western side of the United States, they can grow in a broad range of environments.

Deciding that he wanted to plant sugar pine seedlings of his own, Raymond purchased four seedlings in our online shop. The timing was perfect, with the tiny, year-old trees arriving by mail on April 22, Earth Day. 

Raymond found the perfect spot for his sugar pine seedings in a clearing on his densely forested property. “I planted all of the trees on a west-facing hill with moist, but well-drained soil where the rain can flow downhill instead of pooling around the trees.  I think they will like moisture but they will not be inundated with water… I thought the trees would thrive in this area. The climate in Connecticut is not radically different from the climate around Lake Tahoe.  We have 4 distinct seasons with consistent … [and] get frequent snow from early December to early March most years” with an average of 40-50 inches of snow each winter. 

All four of his seedlings have grown about 4 inches since he planted them in late April. As of early July, they had rain “2 out of every 3 days since the end of April …[and] plenty of organic matter in the soil with all of the tree leaves on the ground from last fall. They're growing faster than I expected and I think they like the climate.”

Raymond shared his early appreciation of trees. “I have been a tree lover since I was a young child.  When I was in Grade 3, I planted a tulip tree (Liriodendron Tulipifera) seedling on our property. It is in the magnolia family and is the tallest species of tree in the eastern half of North America.” His young hopes were high knowing that they could get up to 170 feet in the Appalachian mountains. He now proudly reports, “After 35 years, it is already about 70 feet tall.” 

He clearly has his work cut out for himself. Keep up the good work, Ray!!

YOU, TOO, CAN PLANT YOUR OWN SUGAR PINE SEEDLINGS!

Receive a free seedling by attending a tree planting event or purchase our seedlings in our online shop.