Providing Native Trees Critical to Central Texas

Central Texas is facing a critical shortage of native trees due to extended droughts, extreme weather events, urban expansion, and the scarcity of high-priority species in today’s nursery trade. This shortage directly impacts our reforestation efforts, as many of the tree species needed are not readily available, particularly in the quantities required.

To address this, we’ve established the Seeds to Trees Native Nursery at TreeFolks, in collaboration with local partners like Central Texas Seed Savers and the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department. We also extend our gratitude to the City of Austin Development Services Department Urban Forest Grant Program, which made our nursery possible. With our own native tree nursery, we can provide a reliable supply of native trees critical to our mission. We also have better control over the species and quantities we grow, and can prioritize locally collected seeds that are well-suited to our unique bioregion.

In addition to growing trees, we’re committed to growing the green workforce and sharing our knowledge with the Central Texas community. Through our ‘nursery of nurseries’ initiative, we aim to train local community members in native tree nursery operations, empowering them to create micro-nurseries and build a supportive network of skilled growers dedicated to restoring native landscapes.

More about the establishment of our native tree nursery can be found here.