Plant & Seed Supply Branch

 

SPECIALIST SUPPORT THAT ADDS VALUE!

Plant and Seed Supply Branch is a Forestry Commission Business
Unit delivering a shared service to the Forestry Commission in Scotland,
England and Wales.  We have 3 nurseries, Delamere, Newton, Wykeham 
and 1 seed processing unit at Alice Holt.  Our customers are very particular
about what they plant in the forest which is why they come to the Forestry
Commission for specialist advice. 

Caledonian Scots Pine trees are specified all the way back to the forest
where the seed is collected. Their genetic origin is most important and we
have been able to trace back every plant to the time and place of seed
collection.

The English oak is another tree that we like to grow close to home. We
collect acorns from the very best stands in the New Forest because our
experience is that these grow well on heavy soils in the south of England.
Our collectors can pick tonnes of acorns for us to sow each year and still
leave plenty for the squirrels.

For our most discerning customers we reserve our genetically improved Sitka
spruce cuttings. These are selected families of trees with desirable timber
properties such as straight stems and high wood density. It takes at least 6
years to produce a plant this way for forest use, the cuttings are all taken by
hand and rooted in polyhouses before transplanting to the open nursery.

Our units are suitably equipped to supply large orders for plants and seed
anywhere in the UK. We sometimes supply trees to thetrade if there is
shortage in availability and we regularly supply seed when stocks are available.
All of our nurseries are equipped with large cold stores to hold plants
awaiting delivery. Trees can be freezer stored for up to 3 months and
planted into May with no detrimental effect. Cell-grown stock is currently
used to extend the season for machine planting in Wales. For further
information on any of the above information, please contact John Morgan