The Bosch Pine Tree Nursery, a few miles outside Jonesboro, Louisiana, once named in the top four producers in the southeast, is up for sale. Over 600 acres of prime land, hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment, buildings and seedlings are now on the market.

"It was a culmination of several things that brought this on," said Dorothy Bosch.

Many people are unaware that the events of September 11, 2001 destroyed many businesses even in this area of the South. Late fall - just after the attacks - through the winter is prime planting time for pine trees.

"More than 300 million pine tree seedlings were left in the ground that year," said Mrs. Bosch. "Five million of those were ours."

After the terrorist attacks, many companies feared reinvesting their money and held it tight. More than seven pine tree nurseries have gone out of business since that day and more will follow.

The important thing about losing the Bosch Nursery comes from the fact that this nursery was once a leader in developing modern research techniques. One story written about the nursery - there were hundreds - began with the line: "He raises supertrees." They were talking about Leonard Bosch who was there from the very beginning.

"I began working here because I was the only one who wasn't afraid to climb ten feet into the trees to do the work," Bosch says with a characteristic smile. The truth is he had a degree from Louisiana Tech in botany and the company was putting it to the best use possible.

They began sending Bosch through the forests around North Louisiana, choosing the largest, straightest, and healthiest trees to take samples from. Those were brought back to the newly formed nursery and grafted onto small seedlings, creating select trees. Pollination from nearby trees was prevented in order to keep the trees pure. The final result - many years later - is what foresters call a super tree. It grows larger, faster and healthier than nature meant it to. Seeds from those trees were collected and planted and those resulting seedlings reforested millions of acres over the years.

This all began at a time when environmentalists were crying that the forests had been cut down. Loggers and industries were looking for a way to replant and grow a new crop for coming generations. Today, that has become a reality. While some foresters speak of a "wall of wood" or "timber glut" on the world market, Dr. G.H. Weaver, former director of the forestry program at Louisiana Tech University calls it an "abundant supply of wood." Whatever it is called, it spells death for many nurseries. One reason is that while most companies used to plant 700 seedlings per acre to insure a healthy stand, now they need plant only around 400 of the specially bred trees to insure a proper stand.

"Also, in using modern techniques, foresters no longer lose as many trees," Bosch said. "Only about 100 seedlings need to survive per acre. Today's trees don't die like those of years ago did. We only had a 75% survival rate at one point."

Add to that the fact that companies are finding it useful to widen out the rows of trees, also cutting down on the need for seedlings, but making the trees grow larger and faster.

For years, the Bosch nursery had more orders than they could actually fill. They often grew as many as 31 million seedlings.

"One year Georgia-Pacific offered us a contract for 48 million seedlings," Mrs. Bosch said. "Every tree we had was already sold."\par }{\plain Three years ago it was all over.

"NAFTA set the stage," Mrs. Bosch said. Then Brazil and other countries began sending timber products into the U.S. for less than they could be produced. Combine that with a drought, a less than average crop and the economic recession caused by September 11 and the Bosch family faced disaster. They put their once profitable business on the market.

There were offers to keep them going - good ones from companies working toward cutting edge technology.

"I'm 71 years old," Bosch said. They decided the time for them to let it go had come.

They have had several offers. Nursery owners from Forest Hills in South Louisiana have looked the property over and calls come in daily now that the news has gone out.

One group considered turning it into a retirement home, another a lodge for hunters and fishermen. Whoever the buyer turns out to be, it spells the end of an era, a time where Leonard Bosch climbs about in treetops, his boys following in his tracks, reproducing seedlings that are the match of any grown worldwide.

"We still have plenty of trees for the public," Mrs. Bosch said. In addition to ornamentals like crape myrtle and althea, they also have nearly one million pines. Fig trees, cypress trees and all kinds of shade trees are still available.

Meanwhile, take a look at the trees alongside the highways whenever traveling - no matter how far. Some of those straight tall pines might be the ones Leonard Bosch and his family lovingly planted, harvested and sent off to be replanted in forests across the nation.

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