It's as if the folks at the catalog printing house have some sort of innate and accurate sense of timing.

Just two days after our huge March blizzard brought us to our knees, I was able to get to my mailbox for the first time, where I found the Burgess Seed & Plant Co. catalog.Ah, the colors! Early girl hybrid tomatoes, Jersey Knight asparagus, raspberries! Could it be that spring would come? And I get the same kick of optimism and the same urge to plan when the Pennsylvania Game Commission announces its annual Spring Seeding Sale.Through cooperation with Howard Nursery, the PGC offers a wide selection of evergreens, shrubs and fruit/nut bearing trees, most native to Pennsylvania.Most of the seedlings are sold in groups of 25; some mixes for specific areas are sold in 100-seedling bundles.There are some new offerings this year: Ninebark, which is a native shrub that produces flowers and fruits; and Sycamore, a tree that can reach over 100 feet in height.Trees that were not available last year are back, including arborvitae, American highbush cranberry, black chokeberry, red osier dogwood, white oak and serviceberry.And, attention teachers! Did you know about the Seedling for Schools Program?Through the program, students plant seedlings at home, on school grounds or in their community, while learning about trees through companion Student Pages and Teacher Resource Guide workbooks.For example, through the educational materials, students learn how to evaluate habitat, plant and care for trees, what things are made from trees, identify trees and find out which animals, birds and insects use trees. The materials are adaptable for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.The seedlings, one for each student, are free. The species offered this year are white spruce (a species that is not preferred as chow by deer) and silky dogwood.The program formerly was offered only at the elementary school level, but due to state budget cuts the Seedlings to Develop Habitats program was cut.That program provided up to 500 seedlings to middle and high school students to enhance or create a specific habitat. Since that program has been nixed, the PGC is instead extending the Seedlings for the Class program to include middle and high school students.The order form and information about the seedlings that are for sale can be found via the game commission's website,

www.pgc.pa.gov. From the website, go to "information and resources" and then go to "make a purchase."From there, choose the option of ordering from Howard Nursery. You can order on line, or print your order form (and then use fax or regular mail). Orders for 12 or more units may qualify for discounted pricing, with prices as low as 18 cents per seedling.If you don't have internet access, order forms are available at game commission offices or by sending a SASE to Howard Nursery, 197 Nursery Road, Howard PA 16841.Payment isn't due until availability is confirmed by Howard Nursery. Seedlings will be shipped in April by UPS, with shipping and handling charges. Orders are shipping only Monday through Wednesday, to help the seedlings be available for weekend planting.I'm proud to say I've planted more than 200 trees in the last few years. Yes, it's a lot of work.But it's a rite of Spring, and a contribution to all the springs to come.