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Planting Dried Seed

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From: Donnie Foreman City: Missoula, MT
I have some seeds that we collected from my relatives house in WI., about 3 years ago.I just ran across them and obviously they are dried out, is ther any way to plant them now, or are they ruined? Thanks for your help.
	Extension Message From: Jay Hayek Extension Specialist, Forestry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences jhayek@illinois.edu
Greetings Donnie: Well, it depends on what kind of tree seed! Some tree seed needs to be planted prior to dessication; however, some seed such as ash, maple, cherry, yellow-poplar, etc. can be "dry-stored" for extended periods (3-7 years) at proper temperature and moisture levels without affecting germination potential. However, excessive heat and dessication will most certainly result in germination failure. For your edification, please refer to the Illinois Direct Seeding Handbook: ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/IL/forestry/species.pdf Best of luck!
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