NORTHWEST FORESTRY DIGEST - JANUARY 1997- PAGES

From Pine Cone to Mill

Photo by Maureen Kaler
GROWING UP: Summit Nursery superintendant, Nola Weston shows greenhouse seedlings what they will
eventually grow up to be.

by Maureen Kafer

Look around your house and
see how much wood there
really is. It is easy to take for
granted all the work that has
gone into producing the wood

that is your table, your
hardwood floor, even your
front door. This list goes on
and on.

There is much preparation
that goes in to keeping our
forests filled with trees.

Of our comm

lt starts out with picking the
fruit that carries the seeds
that will grow to become a
majestic forest that will
become part of a home
entertainment centre.

The seeds come from one of

two sources. Wild stands are
a natural group of trees. Cone

pickers are sent out to pick -

the cones out of baskets that a
helicopter has lowered over 2
tree.

Some cones fall into the

Contributing to the economic growth
unity through

Inia

Resources

basket and some of the upper
branches are cut off.

After the pickers are finished,
the cones are bundled up and
sent off,

Seed orchards are the other
source. In this breeding
program the best wild trees
are cross bred. This helps to
maintain or increase the
genetic diversity of the trees
as well as picking up the
trails for better growth and
strength properties.

“We're trying to get a lot of
our program into that, using
improved seed, because we
can make big gains in growth
ata relatively ow cost.” says
Gerry Pinkerton, = from
Ministry of Forests.

Next the bundles of cones are
sent to a seed processing
centre where the seeds. are
removed from the cone, Then
they are dried in’ order to
ensure they wan't germinate
or mould while in storage.
Some lypes of cones need to
dry in order to open up and
release the seed. They are
stored anywhere up to 30
years.

The seeds are senl out to
nurseries upon request.

In order to prepare for an
area ~=—sbbeing = denuded,
destroyed by natural causes
or lopped, a back-up of seeds

is kept on hand. “We always
bank a seed," says Pinkerton.
“We always have about a
five to 10 year supply on
hand." ,

The nursery will grow the
seedling in: containers from
five months to two years to
prow depending on the type
of seedling. “Normally we
take a year to grow a seedling
but we can do it faster." -
While the. seedlings are
prowing, different -_ sites
(blocks) are being prepared
for planting.

The amount of preparation
needed for a block varies. In
some cases, if the arca was
destroyed by an older fire,
snags must be felled and
piled, or brush may need to
be removed.

By the. time: the site is
prepared: and the seedlings
are ready, thé planters: must
be hired, usually by contract.
“The planters come and put
them into the ground, pretty
simple,” says Pinkerton.

But the job does not end
there, There is much
maintenance required to
ensure the survival of the
young seedlings.

See “Pine Cone”
on page 6