Tree seedlings donated by Rockler Woodworking and Hardware are doing well

Minnesotans are hardy people. And so are its trees, apparently. 

Despite harsh conditions — including one of the state’s worst droughts and ongoing wildfires — some 80,000 recently planted tree seedlings donated by Minnesota-based family-owned company Rockler Woodworking and Hardware are alive and well in a 95-acre forest in Finland State Forest in the North Shore, an area that was in need of reforestation.

The 2021 tree planting was a component of Rockler’s $50,000 donation to the Hardwood Forestry Fund (HFF) to support tree-planting projects across the country. 

“The North Shore is a treasured area for the state and Rockler is thrilled to see the trees we helped to plant are thriving,” said Ann Jackson, Executive Chairman of Rockler Woodworking and Hardware. 

The Rockler trees are a mix of red oak, white pine, and white spruce seedlings to diversify the forest type to ensure a healthier forest. The new trees will also increase the quality of the future harvestable timber and add to the resilience and adaptability of a forest increasingly impacted by a changing climate.

“This area of the Finland State Forest was in great need of new forest growth, and our teams will be monitoring these young trees to help them take hold and thrive,” Anna Heurth, Silviculture Program Forester for the Minnesota DNR. “It’s encouraging to see these trees doing so well and sprouting unscathed from the fires and severe drought conditions they’ve faced.” 

Rockler’s contribution to HFF continues the company’s commitment to supporting the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to establishing sustainable hardwood forests. Since 2008, Rockler has donated more than $100,000 to HFF to fund tens of thousands of tree-plantings across the country. Rockler’s donations to HFF have helped fund reforestation projects in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin and more.