Linn seedling sale success continues

By Larry Mauter, LCSWA member

Record number of orders, seedlings purchased at 28th annual event

Record efforts produced record results for the 2023 Linn County Small Woodlands Association seedling sale.

Almost 14,000 seedlings were purchased at the February 4 sale, with preorders totaling 238 customers. Another 150 sales came from walkins at the 28th annual event.

The sales allow the LCSWA to provide college scholarships to Linn County forestry students as well as Linn 4-Hers who keep records of their forestry education work.

“Our success at the seedling sale gets smoother each year as we learn what works best over the years. We started out in a covered storage area outside at Coastal Farm’s old store,” said Fay Sallee, a 4-H leader and woodland owner. Her late husband Sherm Sallee began the effort as a way to help small woodlands owners obtain seedlings for their forests.

“The volunteers, of all ages, continue to make our sale such a huge success,” said Bonnie Marshall, seedling sale chairman. “Friday was a long day for many folks involved in setting up, gathering, packaging, and wrapping seedlings, cleaning up and preparing for Saturday’s sale,” she said. Some 11,700 seedlings were wrapped in sawdust and newspaper and then bagged for the 238 pre-orders during a 9-hour period, said Marshall.

Volunteers included 30 members of the LCSWA and another 42 4-Hers and parents. Sallee and Cory Koos lined up the volunteers for the weekend work. Overall,

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