(AP) — Roughly 42,000 ponderosa pine tree seedlings will be planted in fire-damaged areas of northwest Nebraska this spring.

John Lee with the U.S. Forest Service says these seedlings will begin the long process of reforesting areas damaged by fire in 2012 and 2006.

But the recovery may take more than 20 years, and thousands more trees will need to be planted.

The trees being planted this April will go in an area 17 miles southwest of Chadron and in Strong Canyon, which is about eight miles away from Chadron.

Roughly 25,000 acres in those areas were damaged by wildfires in 2006 and 2012.