Probably few would guess that Nebraska is home to the oldest Federal Tree Nursery in the United States, established in 1903. More interesting is that two of Nebraska's National Forests were completely void of any trees when they were declared forests. It was a government experiment to see if forests could be created in the treeless Sandhills region of Nebraska. The trees that exist in these vast areas are 100% human planted. The Nebraska National Forest at Halsey contains 140 square miles, while the McKelvie National Forest south of Valentine contains 180 square miles. The McKelvie National Forest is nearly void of trees since it was not planted, except for two small areas. The forest near Halsey produces 4.5 million trees of 40 different species annually. Almost entirely of the coniferous types. 
Nebraska National Forest at Halsey. - 41°51' 100°20' 
McKelvie National Forest at Valentine. - 42°42' 101°00'
They have trees in Nebraska? JK.
Very interesting post. Thanks JP.
are the trees that were planted reproducing? is the forest expanding?
neat info. i had no idea.
Jerry,
I should have known better than to doubt you. I thought the Savenac Nursery just down the road was the oldest, but it came four years after the Nebraska nursery.
Keep the history coming.
Kurt
