Buying and Selecting Nursery Stock

Choosing high-quality nursery stock allows trees to establish quickly, grow evenly, and require less maintenance over their lifetime.

Click HERE to download a one page cue card on choosing a tree from a nursery

Tips to choosing high quality nursery stock

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Using Specifications

When purchasing trees, buyers can use specifications as a clear and enforceable standard to ensure that only high-quality, structurally sound trees are delivered. Specifications describe in detail what constitutes a healthy tree. They also establish the conditions of inspection and time of delivery. By sending the nursery a copy of the attached specifications, buyers can request trees that meet these exact criteria. The specifications also give buyers the right to inspect trees upon arrival and reject any that do not meet this standard.

Key benefits of high quality nursery stock:

higher survivor rates
lower replacement costs
increased canopy cover

How to order a tree

• When you first contact nurseries, send them a list of the species, quantities, and sizes of the trees you want.

• Send the attached specifications right away, because if the nursery doesn't have trees that meet these standards, you won't want to buy from them.

• Even if you don't feel qualified to judge tree quality, this document will still ensure that the nursery delivers higher-quality trees.

Download specifications .pdf

Download specifications .docx

Key traits when inspecting nursery trees

Download Nursery Tree Specs pdf

Check the tree crown

the crown is the portion of the tree beginning at the lowest main branch extending to the top of the tree

Central leader

Best: Original leader is retained on the tree and as not been topped.

Good: Original leader has been topped, but the tree has been pruned to create a new leader with at least one-half of the diameter of the original leader.

Bad: Original leader has been topped and there are several codominant upward growing branches.

Bad: Main branches extend from the central leader at about the same area

Bad: Branch diameter is larger than two-thirds the diameter of the central leader, as measured 1 inch above the branch

Good: The branch extends away from the trunk and a bark ridge forms at the juncture.

Bad: Bark appears to be growing inward at the attachment point, indicating a weak attachment

Good: Small (<3/8”) branches are present on the trunk below the lowest main branch

Bad: The lower portion of the trunk is bare. Clear trunk takes up more than 40% of the total height of the tree.

2. Branch attachment

Good: Main branches are evenly distributed, creating a stronger structure

3. Branch size

Good: Branch diameter about one half the diameter of the central leader, as measured 1 inch above the branch

4. Inclusions

Inclusions are bark embedded in the union between a branch and the trunk or between two or more stems that prevents the formation of a normal branch bark ridge.