Ready-to-pick red pine cones have closed scales and often show a green or purple tint. | Photo courtesy of Michigan DNR

LANSING, MICH. -- A little extra pocket money in exchange for some pine cones? That’s the deal being offered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources this fall.

Throughout the month of September, people can pick fresh cones from red pine trees and drop them off by appointment at several DNR locations across the Upper and Northern Lower Peninsulas, where red pines are most abundant. A bushel, or approximately two 5-gallon buckets, of fresh red pine cones will earn $100 —up from $75 per bushel last year.

Red pine cones that are collected through this program eventually help with tree planting in state forests, according to a DNR release. Seeds are collected from the pine cones and are used by foresters to plant more red pine, a fast-growing tree species that is used to make products like lumber, posts and pulpwood.

Red pine cones can be dropped off from Sept. 1-30 at specific locations, listed below. The DNR offers these tips for collecting and dropping off the pine cones:

First, register in the DNR’s online system in order to get paid for your pine cone pickings. Details here

Know how to ID a red pine tree. Red pines have craggy, reddish bark and 4- to-6-inch needles that grow in bundles of two. Scotch and Austrian pine cones, which have some similarities, will not be accepted. See more tips on the DNR’s identification flyer.

Cones should be picked off the tree; fallen cones on the ground are likely to be too old or wet. No twigs, needles or debris will be accepted.

The pine cones’ scales should be closed, with a little bit of green or purple tint – if they are all brown and open, they’re too mature and won’t be accepted.

The easiest way to collect cones? Pick them from living red pine trees where branches extend close to the ground. Fresh cones also can be found in recently felled treetops from timber sales and on state forest lands. If picking from a recent timber sale, logger permission is required, and hardhats must be worn for safety.

Store pine cones in a cool, dry place in mesh bags. “Onion bags,” which are great for this purpose, will be provided by the DNR at drop-off locations. Don’t use burlap or plastic bags, which can hold moisture and ruin the cones. Tag bags on the inside and outside with your name, county where you picked and if the cones are wild or from a plantation.

Cones may be dropped off by appointment at the following DNR Customer Service Centers and Wyman Nursery:

Drop off cones by appointment at Wyman State Forest Nursery in Manistique (906-341-2518) or at the following DNR Customer Service Centers: Newberry (906-440-1348), Gaylord (989-619-5519), Roscommon (989-390-0279), and Cadillac (231-775-9727).

Do not bring pine cones to DNR Customer Service Centers not listed here and without first making an appointment, the DNR said in a release.

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