Contact the area forestry office drop off location in your area before collecting for the quota of cone or seeds they will purchase plus instructions on proper collecting, handling and labeling requirements. Collecting, storing, and delivering large quantities of high-quality seed, you are helping to grow deciduous forest adapted to Minnesota.
| Species | Crop freq. (years) |
Time to collect cones | Cone ripeness | Bearing Age (min years) | Range of pds/seed/ bushel of cones |
Average seeds/pound |
Average seeds/oz. |
Production Cycle (years) |
Flowering Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamarack | 3–4 | August | Tan | 20–40 | 0.25–0.75 | 280,000 | 17,500 | 1 | April– May |
| Balsam fir | 2–3 | August | Purple–Brown | 15–20 | 2.0–2.5 | 60,000 | 3,750 | 1 | May |
| White spruce | 2–6 | August | Tan | 20–25 | 0.4–1.2 | 180,000 | 11,250 | 1 | May |
| White pine | 3–10 | September | Reddish– Purple | 5–10 | 0.6–1.0 | 22,000 | 1,375 | 2 | May–June |
| White cedar | 2–3 | September | Tan | 20–30 | 1.0 | 320,000 | 20,000 | 1 | April–May |
| Jack pine | 3–4 | September | Tan | 3–15 | 0.4–0.8 | 110,000 | 6,875 | 2 | April–May |
| Red pine | 3–7 | September | Purple | 20–25 | 0.5–0.8 | 50,000 | 3,125 | 2 | May–June |
| Black spruce | 4–5 | September | Purple | 30–40 | 0.25–0.75 | 380,000 | 27,375 | 1 | May–June |
| Red cedar | 2–3 | September | Blue | 10 | 7.0–9.0 | 40,000 | 2,500 | 1 | April–May |