Colorado Nursery Grows 1M Trees Yearly to Heal Forests

Inside a series of greenhouses in Loveland, Colorado, a million tiny trees are preparing to restore the Rocky Mountains, one seedling at a time.

OneCanopy, founded in 2022, has already produced more than 2 million native trees and plants from its seven-acre facility. The private reforestation company hit a major milestone this year: producing 1 million seedlings annually to help heal forests across the West.

The company started with a sobering discovery. Kevin Brinkman, founder of a Fort Collins real estate company, was backpacking through Pike National Forest when he stumbled upon the Hayman Fire burn scar. Nearly 20 years after the 2002 wildfire scorched over 130,000 acres, barely any trees had grown back.

Brinkman connected with forest ecologist Katelynn Martinez, then studying at Colorado State University. Together they launched OneCanopy to address a critical gap: Colorado lacks the large-scale nurseries needed to grow enough trees for reforestation efforts.

Unlike the Pacific Northwest or Southeast, Colorado never developed a major timber industry with existing facilities that could be repurposed for growing trees. Meanwhile, devastating wildfires continue to burn through low-elevation forests that aren't naturally regenerating.

Inside OneCanopy's greenhouses, tiny Douglas fir seedlings no bigger than a pinky finger sway in the breeze from industrial fans. Rows of ponderosa pines range from baby sprigs to fluffy adolescent trees. Slow-growing subalpine firs peek out from plastic pots, all destined for forest floors, private ranches, and city parks.

The company uses a seeding machine that produces one seedling per second. They've shipped trees across seven states including Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Orders range from 25 plants for small restoration projects to 200,000 for major reforestation efforts.

Martinez now serves as president of what she calls Colorado's first major private reforestation company. The demand surprised even her. While plenty of organizations do boots-on-the-ground planting work, few facilities exist to supply those efforts with native seedlings.

The Ripple Effect

OneCanopy's timing couldn't be better. A 2021 study from the Nature Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service estimated the contiguous United States needs 30 billion additional trees by 2040 to adequately address large-scale deforestation and meet climate goals.

The company plans to open retail days soon, allowing individuals to purchase just one or two plants for their own properties. They've even added a new team member: Douglas Fir (or Douglas "Fur"), a green-eyed tabby cat recently adopted to hunt the mice that feast on fallen seeds.

By the end of 2027, OneCanopy hopes to become the largest producer of native plants for reforestation in the Rocky Mountain region, turning those tiny greenhouse seedlings into the restored forests of tomorrow.