What Forrest Keeling Nursery does

Forrest Keeling Nursery is a privately held, family-operated native plant nursery headquartered in Elsberry, Missouri, founded in 1948 and currently led by the Lovelace family. The company produces over 1.5 million plants annually across more than 380 species, including approximately 250 native tree and shrub species and 100+ native perennial and grass species, and distributes wholesale to 49 U.S. states, Canada, Europe, and Asia while operating a small Garden Store retail outlet on-site and online via Shopify.

The company's core technology is the patented 12-step RPM (Root Production Method®) production process, an all-natural method using air-root pruning of the tap root and a proprietary soil media blend containing a soil biota inoculant. RPM production yields plants with dense, fibrous root systems that deliver greater than 90% survivability in field settings, up to 2x faster growth compared to traditionally produced stock, and continued improvement of the soil microbiome at the installation site. Products are offered in three formats: bare-root seedlings for low-cost-per-acre large-scale projects, RPM container stock for challenging sites such as compacted soils, flood-prone areas, and urban environments, and caliper trees up to 3 inches in diameter for immediate landscape impact.

Forrest Keeling serves government conservation agencies, nonprofit restoration organizations, mitigation banks, landscape architects, commercial agroforestry operations, and residential customers. Revenue is generated through quote-based wholesale contracts, bundled wildlife habitat products such as Permaplot® and Bucks Unlimited Oak™, urban-focused StreetSmart™ Trees, the Cornell co-developed 'Super Sweet' Sugar Maple, retail preorders via the Garden Store, and seed sales through the Lovelace Seed division. The company supplements direct sales with content marketing, eNewsletters, trade show participation, and an annual Fall Field Day event at the Elsberry campus. Notable projects include Mississippi River floodplain restoration (1993), Gulf Coast rebuilding post-Hurricane Katrina (2005), Beijing reforestation ahead of the 2008 Olympics, the CityArchRiver Gateway Arch renovation (2018), and the Cedar Rapids Monarch Research Project (2020).

Name

Forrest Keeling Nursery

Legal name

Forrest Keeling Nursery

Website

https://fknursery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Forrest Keeling Nursery is a family-owned, Missouri-based native plant nursery and the self-described largest producer of native plants in North America, producing 1.5 million plants annually across 380+ species using its patented RPM process and selling wholesale to government, conservation, landscape, and residential customers in 49 U.S. states and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Native Plant Nursery

NAICS

Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Tree Nursery Stock Production (Seedlings, Saplings, Clonal Material) (AFAMACAA)

Keywords

• Native plant nursery
• Wholesale nursery stock
• Ecological restoration plants
• Bare-root seedlings
• Container grown natives

Headquarters

HQ city

Elsberry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Native Plant Sales: Forrest Keeling operates primarily as a wholesale nursery, producing over 1.5 million plants annually including seedlings, liners, and container stock. They sell bare-root seedlings for large-scale restoration projects and RPM container stock for challenging sites. They also offer caliper trees up to 3 inches in diameter. Ships wholesale orders to 49 US states and internationally to Canada, Europe, and Asia.
2. Permaplot® Product Line: Proprietary wildlife habitat product line including Bucks Unlimited Oak™ swamp white oak variety and curated tree/shrub collections. Typical Permaplot includes 50 #3 RPM trees and shrubs with tree guards, representing a higher-value bundled product offering.
3. Retail Garden Store Sales: Direct-to-consumer retail sales through Garden Store for preorder plant pickup at Elsberry location. Individual plant sales to residential customers.
4. Lovelace Seed Division: Seed sales through Eric Lovelace's VP of Lovelace Seed division. Seeds for native plant propagation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Forrest Keeling Nursery is a wholesale and retail native plant nursery producing more than 1.5 million plants annually across roughly 380 species using its patented RPM (Root Production Method®) process. Its product mix includes bare-root seedlings, RPM container stock, and caliper trees up to 3 inches in diameter, sold to commercial customers (government agencies, restoration practitioners, landscape architects, conservation organizations) in 49 U.S. states and internationally, and to residential customers through the on-site Garden Store.

Product overview

Forrest Keeling Nursery operates as a native plant nursery producing over 1.5 million plants annually across 380 species. The core offering is the patented RPM (Root Production Method®) production process, which creates superior root systems for faster growth and 90%+ survivability. The product portfolio includes three stock formats: bare-root seedlings (economical large-scale coverage), RPM-produced container stock (challenging site performance), and caliper trees (immediate landscape impact). Key branded products include StreetSmart™ Trees for urban landscapes, Permaplot® and Bucks Unlimited Oak™ for wildlife habitat, and specialty crops like the Cornell 'Super Sweet' Sugar Maple for agroforestry. Products are sold wholesale to 49 states plus international markets, and retail through the Garden Store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RPM (Root Production Method®): Patented 12-step all-natural production process for native plants that yields superior root systems, 2X faster growth, and greater than 90% survivability.
• StreetSmart™ Trees
• Permaplot®
• Bucks Unlimited Oak™

Products and services

• Native Trees and Shrubs Over 250 species of native trees and shrubs, including oaks, dogwoods, maples, and specialty varieties, produced via RPM or bare-root methods for conservation, restoration, and landscaping applications.
• Native Perennials and Grasses More than 100 species of native perennials and grasses including switchgrass, little bluestem, prairie dropseed, indiangrass, and native sedges for restoration, rain gardens, and sustainable landscaping.
• Bare-Root Seedlings Premium field-grown bare-root seedlings harvested during dormancy, offering the lowest cost per acre for large-scale reforestation, riparian buffers, and conservation planting projects.
• RPM Container Stock Container-grown stock produced via the patented 12-step RPM (Root Production Method®) process, providing greater than 95% survival rates and best-in-class performance on challenging sites including compacted soils, steep slopes, flood-prone areas, and urban environments.
• Caliper Trees Larger field-grown trees with trunk diameters up to three inches, providing immediate visual impact and canopy coverage for streetscapes, parks, campuses, and civic spaces.
• StreetSmart™ Trees Urban landscape trees designed for city environments, serving as primary contributors to green infrastructure in urban settings, produced with enhanced resilience characteristics for harsh urban conditions.
• Permaplot® Wildlife Habitat Collections A curated selection of native trees and shrubs designed for wildlife nutrition, providing year-round nourishment with no recurring planting expense, including hard mast (oaks, hazelnut, pecan) and soft mast (persimmon, chokeberry, plum) species. A typical Permaplot includes 50 #3 RPM trees and shrubs with tree guards.
• Bucks Unlimited Oak™ A high-yielding variety of swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) that produces twice as many acorns as other oak species, designed for wildlife food plots and deer stand plantings.
• Cornell 'Super Sweet' Sugar Maple A genetically enhanced sugar maple developed by Cornell University that produces sweeter sap in larger quantities, combined with RPM technology for faster establishment and superior survival rates for maple syrup production.
• Wholesale Sales Service Wholesale nursery stock shipping to 49 U.S. states plus Canada, Europe, and Asia, including seedlings, liners, and container stock for commercial customers, handled by a dedicated commercial sales team at 800-356-2401.
• Garden Store (Retail) Retail plant sales with preorder and pickup options at the Elsberry, Missouri headquarters location, served by a dedicated residential phone line (573-898-3010) and a Shopify-based online storefront.
• Lovelace Seed Division Seed sales for native plant propagation, offered through Eric Lovelace's Lovelace Seed division within Forrest Keeling Nursery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Greater than 90% survivability for RPM plants (compared to bareroot averaging 54-76% depending on species)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• USDA (EAIP, EQIP, CSP programs)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Company markets native plants as suitable for USDA conservation programs including Expanding Agroforestry Incentive Payment Program (EAIP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). These programs provide financial incentives for farmers integrating agroforestry and conservation practices.
• Monarch Research Project (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020Collaboration following the August 2020 derecho that destroyed nearly one million trees in Cedar Rapids. MRP led area homeowners in installing over 75,000 RPM native trees in first two years. The partnership aims to restore monarch butterfly habitat and urban tree canopy through citizen participation.
• Cornell University (Uihlein Sugar Maple Field Station)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Cornell 'Super Sweet' Sugar Maple development. Forrest Keeling applies their RPM technology to Cornell's genetically improved maple trees. The partnership combines Cornell's genetic research with Forrest Keeling's RPM production for faster growth, better survival, and enhanced sap production in maple syrup operations.
• Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage DistrictcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMSD's Reforestation and Wetland Restoration Program aims to plant millions of native trees and shrubs including dogwoods to restore wetlands and enhance water management in Greater Milwaukee Watersheds. Forrest Keeling supplies native plants for this large-scale water quality initiative.
• Schlitz Audubon Nature CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHardwood Swamp Restoration project planting silky dogwood alongside other native species to restore rare hardwood swamp habitat supporting endangered species like the rusty patched bumblebee and migratory birds.
• Forget Me Not Creek Restoration ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStream re-meandering and adjacent wetland restoration project using red osier dogwood to stabilize streambanks and create healthier, more resilient riparian zones.
• The Nature ConservancyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNature Conservancy manages applications for the Expanding Agroforestry Project, directing farmers to native plant suppliers like Forrest Keeling for agroforestry implementation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FKNursery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forrest-keeling-nursery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forrest Keeling Nursery