Since 1910, the New Hampshire State Nursery has been quietly churning out low-cost tree seedlings for New Hampshire residents to plant.
Now, the Governor's Efficiency Commission recommends closing the nursery in order to save money.
Meanwhile, most New Hampshire residents may be unaware the nursery exists.
NHPR's Doug MacPherson reports.
The New Hampshire State Nursery is easy to miss. Located on a quiet stretch of Route 3 in Boscawen, the nursery appears at first glance to be a moderately prosperous farm. Howie Lewis is one of the nursery�s three employees. With evident pride, he enjoys taking visitors on a tour of the barn that houses what Lewis calls the �seed extractory.� Today�s job � extracting seeds from Norway spruce cones.
TAPE LEWIS 094 this is what we affectionately call the squirrel cage. It�s a large tumbler, about 5 or 6 feet in diameter, and the open cones are put in there and tumbled.
TAPE 109 SFX SQUIRREL CAGE TO 123
TAPE LEWIS 126 this here is the next step in the process, this is called the de-winger. ///127 it�s just a cylinder here with, there are brushes. These are nothing more than regular floor brushes. There�s a corrugated rubber insert here, and the seed and the wings are bumbled against that and it actually dewings the seed, so we can go to the next step in the process.
TAPE 147 SFX DEWINGER
TAPE LEWIS //164 we have screens that can be inserted in here that are for the size of the seed 169 what this machine will do is it shakes back and forth and as it does that the seed of the proper size will fall through
TAPE 186 SFX CLIPPER CLEANER
The seeds are then frozen and stored with the nursery�s extensive seed collection until they�re wanted for planting. The farm spreads over 888-acres. Lewis hops in a truck to tour the seedlings.
284 SFX [STARTING TRUCK]
TAPE LEWIS 292 on the left here is the balsam fir seed orchard where we collect all our seed for planting for Christmas trees.
//293 here on the right///297 this particular group of trees, it looks nothing more than saplings, but /// they came from three parent trees in /// hemmingway state forest in tamworth. //299 and these trees were super trees. They were 130 feet tall// and they had all the desirable qualities you would want for a lumber tree/// these cuttings were taken from those trees and they were brought here and grafted at the nursery. And these will bee included in our seed orchard.
Lewis drives uphill, through trees and into a clearing of about 20-acres. Here thousands of seedlings poke through a blanket of snow.
TAPE LEWIS 378 Right in front of us are our hardwood beds. These seedlings will be lifted and shipped this year. Some of the names// nanny berry, wild raising, high bush cranberry, winter berry holly. /// 386 white ash, red oak, grapes, [FADE AND HOLD UNDER] the three dogwoods, crab apple, sugar maples.
The nursery is constantly selecting for genetic superiority of one kind or another � fastest growing, best color, greatest leaf retention.
TAPE LEWIS //395 the oaks would be for reforestation. White pine would be for reforestation. Some for Christmas threes, of course, a lot of the species I just mentioned to you are for wildlife. For conservation uses. Wetlands plantings, wetlands mitigation, etcetera.
TAPE DOUG: WHO WILL TAKE THEM, THE STATE?
TAPE LEWIS 399 oh, no, private citizens will buy most of our seedlings. //surplus seedlings we do give to schools, boy scouts for planting on public property, or for educational purposes.
TAPE DOUG: SO ANY RESIDENT IN NH CAN COME HERE AND SHOP?
TAPE LEWIS Absolutely, absolutely. We�ve been called the best kept secret in nh. And we want to change that.
The nursery recently set up an extensive web site. The most expensive seedlings cost a dollar fifty. Orders now come in from as far away as California. Lawmakers created the nursery in 1910, back when most of New Hampshire was clear-cut. Lewis says the nursery�s main mission has remained largely unchanged.
TAPE LEWIS 120 basically, in a nutshell, to reforest new hamsphire. And bring in stock and provide it to the public at a reasonable price.
125 DOUG � NOW, OF COURSE, 80 PERCENT OF NH IS REFORESTED. SO WHAT IS YOUR MISSION NOW, COULDN�T ONE ARGUE THAT YOU�VE ACCOMPLISHED THAT, THAT THE STATE NURSERY ACCOMPLISHED ITS STATED GOAL?
TAPE LEWIS 128 one could argue that. But I have a simple answer for that: people cut trees and people need to plant trees. And that�s only half, a little less than half of what we do now is reforestation. It�s the Christmas trees and the wildlife and the songbirds, the wetlands and things like that now that take up the other half, and that�s very important.
The Governor�s Efficiency Commission disagrees. John Babiarz, former Libertarian candidate for Governor, was appointed to the commission by Governor Craig Benson. Babiarz was charged with looking into the nursery. As the commission�s report states � quote � �the g-e-c recommends closing the nursery and selling off the land and buildings.�
TAPE BABIARZ 6:06 we just can�t afford to do this type of project unless there�s some outstanding reason that we have to do it. And I�m afraid I did not see any outstanding reason that the government needs to be in the nursery business.
Babiarz says the nursery�s effort to generate the best seed stock from the best examples of New Hampshire�s native species is no longer needed.
TAPE BABIARZ 7:45 today, we don�t need to rely on the old methods of propagation. We now have the capability of generic research. The ability, even if we decide these seeds are valuable, to quote store them indefinitely as part of a seed project that is done by, I believe, by the federal government. But the bottom line is, trees propagating all the time. And whether nature does it by itself, or man helping it, you know, if it�s a commercial operation, they can make it quantity size viable.
And if the nursery were to close, what would happen to the nursery�s stock of seeds from native species?
TAPE BABIARZ 6:35 They would either sell it off to commercial people that want it, or whatever they need to do to dispose of it. Right now, the bottom line is, we�re losing money, and we�re losing money every time we keep that facility is open.
However, the commission�s report exaggerates the amount of money lost. It correctly lists the annual operating cost at 184-thousand dollars. It lists income in the last fiscal year of 42-thousand dollars. By the commission�s reckoning, the nursery loses 140-thousand dollars a year. But the report doesn�t mention that the nursery generated 50-thousand dollars in timber sales, and 105-thousand dollars in sales of seedlings. In fact, according to figures supplied by the state office of administrative services, income generated by nursery staff came within 5-thousand dollars of covering all costs.
The nursery�s future remains uncertain.
A spokesman for Governor Benson says the governor is working with lawmakers to determine the next step in implementing the commission�s recommendations. Each will be evaluated. Those approved with be carried out, either by executive order or by lawmakers.
For NHPR news, I�m Doug MacPherson.
