Conservation District tree sale orders being taken.

SCOTTVILLE — Think spring, like this prairie crabapple tree (malus ioensis) being featured on the Mason-Lake Conservation District’s annual spring tree sale fundraiser order form.

This tree’s showy flowers are great at attracting bees for pollinating fruit trees and garden fruits and vegetables. Its plentiful golf-ball size fruits are great for wildlife like deer, rabbits, upland birds and even foxes. New for 2016, the District will also have hybrid oak trees for deer and turkey lovers that produce up to 100 pounds of acorns per tree in as little as 5 years, Fraser fir transplants do-it-yourself folks can plant and later cut down for Christmas trees, and large 4-6 foot yard specimen trees that can be planted for to celebrate the 144th Arbor Day, April 29. Among these and 30 other trees and shrubs for wildlife habitat/forage and reforestation, 13 different fruit trees are being sold by the Conservation District to raise funds for conservation education. Examples of this tree sale fundraiser revenue being put to use in our area this year include tree plantings with local school groups, as well as a paid internship opportunity for 2 and 4 year college students to help restore the Pere Marquette River and to survey/treat invasive plants -see www.mason-lakeconservation.org for application.

Tree orders are due Friday April 8th. Pick up will be Thursday April 28 through Saturday April 30 at the Mason County Fairgrounds. Tree sale order forms and descriptions are available at:

http://www.mason-lakeconservation.org/sale/   call (231) 757-3707 ext. 5 for questions about the best places to plant each species!