When you walk through a woodland, it’s easy to admire the biggest trees.

Towering oaks, graceful maples, towering pines, and sturdy birches naturally capture our attention. They seem permanent — like they’ve always been there.

But a healthy woodland isn’t just made up of mature trees.

It’s made up of every stage of life.

Scattered beneath the canopy are tiny seedlings pushing through the leaf litter, young saplings reaching for sunlight, and seeds waiting for just the right conditions to begin growing. Together, they represent the woodland’s future.

Forests are always planning ahead.

At Green Bay Botanical Garden, Woodland Wonders presented by Selner Tree & Shrub Care invites guests to notice these connections. While towering trees may define the landscape today, it’s the next generation quietly growing below that will shape tomorrow’s woodland.

Every Great Tree Begins Small

Every towering oak once fit inside an acorn.

Every sugar maple began as a winged samara drifting through the air.

Every white pine started as a tiny seed released from a cone.

Wisconsin’s forests rely on an incredible variety of seeds to ensure future generations of trees. Some are carried by the wind. Others float on water. Many are transported by wildlife.

Not every seed sprouts immediately. Some remain dormant through winter, waiting for the right combination of moisture, temperature, and light before beginning to grow.

Nature doesn’t rush. It waits for the right moment.

Wildlife Helps Plant the Forest

Many of Wisconsin’s most important tree planters aren’t people at all.

They’re animals.

Squirrels bury acorns throughout the fall, often forgetting where they placed them. Blue jays carry acorns surprisingly long distances before storing them for later. Birds eat berries and deposit seeds in new locations, helping shrubs and trees spread naturally through the landscape.

Without realizing it, these animals help shape the forests of the future.

A Woodland Is Home to Many Generations

Unlike a garden bed that may be replanted each year, a woodland contains multiple generations growing together.

Mature canopy trees provide shade while young trees patiently wait beneath them, and tiny seedlings emerge whenever sunlight reaches the forest floor.

Some saplings may spend years growing slowly beneath the canopy before an opening allows them to reach toward the sky.

This layered structure ensures the woodland is always renewing itself.

Tomorrow’s Forest Starts with Today’s Leaves

Every autumn, leaves drift gently to the forest floor.

Rather than becoming waste, they become part of the woodland’s future.

As leaves decompose, they return nutrients to the soil, feed fungi and beneficial microbes, retain moisture, and create rich organic matter that supports the next generation of plants.

Even fallen branches eventually become habitat and nourishment.

Forests Teach Us Patience

One of the greatest lessons a woodland offers is patience.

A bur oak may live for centuries.

Sugar maples can shade generations of families.

The tree planted today may not reach its full potential for decades.

Yet forests continue investing in that future every single year.

Each seed, each sapling, and each new root represents hope that the woodland will continue long after the present season has passed.

Discover the Woodland’s Future at Woodland Wonders

As you explore Woodland Wonders, take a moment to look beyond the tallest trees.

Notice the smaller plants growing beneath the canopy. Look for young trees beginning their journey, layered plantings that mimic natural woodlands, and the connections between the forest floor and the trees above.

Woodland Wonders celebrates more than the beauty of mature forests. It highlights the ongoing cycles of growth, renewal, and resilience that keep woodlands thriving year after year.