Did You Know That The MN DNR Will Pay You For This Kind Of Pine Cone?

If you've got a black spruce tree on your property you might be missing out on some cash. Seriously. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is still looking for Black Spruce pine cones for their cone and seed collection and will be paying people for their cones through February.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website in regards to collecting 'conifer cones' those interested in collecting for the DNR should "contact the area forestry office drop off location in your area before collecting for the quota of cone or seeds they will purchase plus instructions on proper collecting, handling and labeling requirements." By selling these cones to the DNR you are taking a direct approach to "helping grow deciduous forests" here in Minnesota.

So what do you need to know about Black Spruce pine cones here in Southern Minnesota? Well, the first thing to know is where you can drop them off. In Southern Minnesota you've got some options depending on where you are located, the DNR's website lists locations in Faribault, Mankato, Caledonia, Preston, and Hutchinson to name a few, you can see the full list of drop off locations here.

Another thing you should know/do when collecting these cones is to take and remove those green little tags on the cones. You can learn more about collecting the cones the right way by watching the video from the Minnesota DNR below.

In terms of how much you can make on black spruce cones, the DNR website lists that they are paying $85/bushel, which is some nice walking around money, especially if you've got a bunch of Black Spruce on your property!