Squirrels messing around with your birdfeeder or wreaking havoc on your lawn? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a crafty way to exact revenge on those rodents and make a few bucks to boot.
The DNR will pay $75 for a bushel of red pine cones, to be used for reforestation, and its ok to steal from a squirrel’s cache. Just make sure they are recently gathered pine cones, not last year’s stash. The pine cones can also be taken from standing pines, logging sites, and state forestlands.
Harvesters should make sure they are red pine cones. Red pines have craggy, reddish bark. The needles grow in pairs. Cones are best picked right from the tree, by you or a helpful squirrel. Cones that have been sitting on the ground for long are probably too old or wet. Cone scales should be closed, with a bit of green or purple, not old brown cones.
The DNR will process the pine cones to extract the valuable seeds and use them to replenish the seed supply. Red pines are in high demand.
To make an appointment to drop off the bushel of pine cones, harvesters will need to register as a vendor with the DNR. A link to more information:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/2ec52c8
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
