MANISTIQUE, Mich. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources is buying pine cones as part of an effort to collect seeds needed for reforestation efforts.
The DNR says its offices in the Upper Peninsula communities of Marquette and Manistique are seeking unopened red and jack pine cones.
It's part of an annual effort. The DNR will pay between $30 and $35 a bushel for high-quality cones. The cones usually come from the eastern Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, but the DNR also is looking for pine cones from the western U.P.
Seeds contained in the cones will be placed in cold storage at the DNR-operated Wyman State Nursery until they're needed. The Manistique-based facility produces between 5 million and 7.5 million seedlings annually to help replenish Michigan's forest land.
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