Dotseth: Study return of nursery

Rep. Jeff Dotseth, R-Silver Township, authored a bill to study the reopening of the General C.C. Andrews tree nursery near Willow River recently, which received a House hearing and remains in the mix for consideration.

For years, legislators, mainly Republicans, tried to close state nurseries entirely, arguing that the state shouldn’t be in the business of raising trees. After the nursery closed in 2014, it was repurposed to train wildland firefighters and produce selectively chosen tree seeds to reforest state lands.

“The nursery was a self-supporting, state-owned nursery which used seeds collected around Minnesota to sustain native growth,” Dotseth said in a statement about the bill. Sen. Jason Rarick, R-Pine City, is carrying the companion bill in the Senate.

Dotseth said he hopes the bill language is included in an omnibus package later this session.

Dotseth said the time is right to revisit the facility and determine whether it is feasible to reopen.

“A lot of things can change in a decade so let’s give this another look,” Dotseth said. “If it makes sense to reopen, it will bring back good, local jobs, help meet demand for tree stock in Minnesota, and provide an added layer of security if there happens to be a mishap at the state’s existing Badoura nursery.”

Dotseth said the Andrews nursery has had the unintended consequence of Minnesota acquiring seedlings from an international company via another state.

“Back when the Andrews nursery was phased out, it was said this would provide an opportunity for private industry in our state to grow,” Dotseth said. “What’s happened is our state is now receiving tree stock from a Canadian company which is growing trees in Michigan. On top of that, supply is not keeping up with demand.”

“This in no way is intended to take away from private industry in our area,” he said. “I hope we get this bill to the finish line so we can learn more about this subject from the study it provides.”