Oklahoma Forestry Services

10/22/2026

🌳 Planning your fall planting? Choose the right tree from day one! 🍂

Heading to your local nursery or garden center this season? Buying a healthy tree is the single best way to ensure long-term success in your landscape. Before you load that seedling or container tree into your truck, perform a quick 60-second inspection.

What to look for at the nursery:

🔍 1. Check the Root Collar & Roots

Gently dig away the surface mulch/soil at the stem base. The trunk flare should be visible, not buried deep like a telephone pole. Avoid trees with thick, circling roots wrapping tightly around the trunk, as these can girdle and strangle the tree as it grows. The roots will NOT straighten out over time!

🔍 2. Inspect the Trunk

Look for smooth, undamaged bark. Avoid trees with severe wounds, cracks, or gouges on the stem, which invite rot and wood-boring insects.

🔍 3. Watch for Codominant Stems

Look for a strong, central leader (one main trunk going straight up). Avoid trees with codominant stems, two competing trunks forming a tight "V" shape, which are prone to splitting during Oklahoma high winds and ice storms.

🔍 4. Check General Vigour

Leaves should be firm and well-colored (no signs of disease or heavy pest damage), and branches should be evenly spaced along the central stem.

A few extra minutes at the nursery pays off in decades of healthy shade and canopy!

10/16/2026

🌱 The Oklahoma State Nursery Seedling Store is OFFICIALLY OPEN for the season! 🌳

It’s time to start planning your spring planting projects! This week, we’re shining a spotlight on a true Oklahoma powerhouse: the Native Bur oak tree (Quercus macrocarpa). One of the largest tree species at maturity in Oklahoma and the largest acorn of any oak!

Whether you’re looking to enhance habitat for local wildlife, establish an effective farmstead shelterbelt, or build long-term canopy for future generations, native bur oaks are an outstanding investment in Oklahoma’s landscape.

Why plant Native bur oaks?
🦆 Wildlife Value: Part of the white oak family, the seed is preferred by many species of wildlife. They provide essential fall forage and roosting habitat for deer, turkeys, ducks, squirrels, and birds.
💨 Windbreaks & Conservation: Strong roots and sturdy branch structures make them ideal for soil stabilization and wind protection.
🌳 Native Hardiness: Extremely resilient and adapted to thrive in Oklahoma's soil and weather conditions.

📦 Bare-root seedlings sell fast! Order early to secure your stock for the spring planting season.

👉 Shop native seedlings online today: https://ag.ok.gov/shop/

Have questions about planting spacing or species selection for your property? Ask one of our foresters for advice, or drop a question in the comments below! You can find your area forester at the following link:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/77dec0bd8c6c4ef6a1bd1c14ecb1eb7d/

10/14/2026

Come see us at the Myriad Botanical Gardens on Saturday, November 5th to purchase your tree and speak to a forester! Species list and event details here: https://myriadgardens.org/garden-gardening/treeforall/

10/13/2026

🔥 Wanting to join the OFS team? 🔥

We are hiring a Fire Equipment Specialist. Learn more ⬇

📣JOB OPENING📣

The ODAFF Oklahoma Forestry Services team is hiring a Fire Equipment Specialist in Goldsby!

This position will be responsible for supporting the Community Fire Assistance Program (CFAP), the Firefighter Property Program (FFP) and Federal Excess Property Program (FEPP).

Duties include but aren't limited to:
• Providing technical assistance and information to donor recipients
• Inspecting and operating all equipment
• Loading equipment between distribution yards and transport vehicles
• Reviewing and evaluatingeligible recipients needs and makes recommendations for donated property
• Engages in initial attack and extended attack wildland fire suppression, prescribed burning operations and activities
• Provides fire suppression and prescribed burning assistance to employees, partners, volunteers and other assisting fire crews
• Operating and maintaining assigned equipment, including pickup trucks, fire engines, bulldozers, and other related equipment; supervises and performs preventive maintenance

Learn more and apply today: https://okgov.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/okgovjobs/job/McClain-County/Fire-Equipment-Specialist_JR54901-1

10/12/2026

🌲 Free Trees!!!🌲
Come see us at the First Americans Museum in OKC to get your free Baldcypress seedling and ask our foresters your toughest tree questions! We’ll be here until 4:00, seedlings are first come, first served while supplies last.

10/09/2026

🌱 The Oklahoma State Nursery Seedling Store is OFFICIALLY OPEN for the season! 🌳

It’s time to start planning your spring planting projects! This week, we’re shining a spotlight on a true Oklahoma powerhouse: the Native Pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis).

Whether you’re looking to enhance habitat for local wildlife, establish an effective farmstead shelterbelt, or build long-term canopy for future generations, native pecans are an outstanding investment in Oklahoma’s landscape.

Why plant Native Pecans?
🦆 Wildlife Value: Provides essential fall forage and roosting habitat for deer, turkeys, ducks, squirrels, and birds.
💨 Windbreaks & Conservation: Deep taproots and sturdy branch structures make them ideal for soil stabilization and wind protection.
🌳 Native Hardiness: Extremely resilient and adapted to thrive in Oklahoma's soil and weather conditions.

📦 Bare-root seedlings sell fast! Order early to secure your stock for the spring planting season.

👉 Shop native seedlings online today: https://ag.ok.gov/shop/

Have questions about planting spacing or species selection for your property? Ask one of our foresters for advice, or drop a question in the comments below! You can find your area forester at the following link:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/77dec0bd8c6c4ef6a1bd1c14ecb1eb7d/

10/08/2026

🗞️ Our Fall Newsletter is live!

Check it out on our web site, and while you're there be sure to register for the Annual Conference coming up on October 27th at The Lookout at Kickingbird in Edmond!
https://okcfc.org/resources/

10/07/2026

🍂 Autumn in Oklahoma means cooler nights, cozy campfires, and getting woodpiles ready for winter! 🪵🔥

As you stock up on firewood or head out to camp in our state parks this fall, please keep one vital rule in mind: Buy It Where You Burn It.

Moving firewood across county or state lines is one of the primary ways destructive, invasive pests, like the Emerald Ash Borer and many others, hitch a ride into our state. Hidden egg masses and larvae inside firewood can devastate healthy Oklahoma forests, neighborhood shade trees, and local habitats.

How you can protect Oklahoma's trees:
✅ Buy firewood near where you plan to burn it (ideally within 10 miles).
✅ Buy certified heat-treated firewood when traveling.
✅ Leave unburned wood at the campsite, don't bring it home!

Help us keep Oklahoma’s forests healthy and resilient for generations to come.

10/02/2026

Looking for a native tree that handles tough conditions without flinching? Meet the Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)!
🌳Native to much of the state, the Chinkapin oak is one of the most resilient members of the white oak group. If you need a long-lived tree that thrives in difficult soil, this is a prime candidate.
​Why plant Chinkapin oak?
🌰 Wildlife Superfood: As part of the white oak family, its acorns contain far lower tannin levels than red oaks. Birds, wild turkeys, deer, and small mammals prefer them above almost any other fall forage.
💪 Oklahoma-Tough: Naturally adapted to high-pH alkaline soils, heat, and drought once established. It rarely suffers from iron chlorosis, even in rocky or clay soils.
🍃 Unique Foliage: Features distinctive, chestnut-like leaves with yellow-green summer tones that turn a warm bronze-gold in autumn.
🏡 Sturdy Canopy: Dense wood and a strong central leader make it exceptionally resistant to wind and ice damage.
​Whether you're managing rural acreage, establishing windbreaks, or planting for wildlife habitat, Chinkapin oak seedling stock will be ready for spring planting at our state nursery!
​👉 Order your seedlings today here:
https://ag.ok.gov/shop/

10/02/2026

We needed that! It’s been months without measurable rain across much of the state and the trees were feeling it! Support your local nurseries for your fall tree planting projects and remember, if you want a long-lived, resilient tree, purchase smaller, native trees for your landscape. Smaller trees establish more quickly and grow faster. Native trees can better withstand Oklahoma’s extremes and offer additional ecological benefits. For a list of native trees in your area, please seehttps://ag.ok.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Oklahoma-Native-Species-by-County-Sheet1.pdf
Happy planting!