This project began with two community meetings, held in North and South Powys. Their purpose was to outline the requirements and business opportunities of tree nursery production and to assess what kind of training and support was required.

 

They were attended by around 40 existing growers and others interested in starting a tree nursery. The feedback from this phase led to a number of training events.

 

Forestry Reproductive Materials.  A Forestry Commission seminar examining legislation relating to seed collection and marketing plants.

 

Glynllifon Tree Nursery. A fact finding visit to an established nursery specialising in local provenance trees in Gwynedd.

 

Seed collection workshops. In autumn 2005, these three events held at Gilfach nature reserve and the Elan Valley Visitor Centre were attended by around 40 people interested in growing native trees from seed. They were practical workshops which equipped potential growers with some of the technical knowledge and practical skills involved in the collection, storage and treatment of tree seed which help improve seed germination.

 

Alice Holt research station. Alice Holt is the Forestry Commission's tree seed branch, supplying approximately 30 million seeds used annually to grow seedlings in the Forestry Commission's own tree nurseries. The aim of the visit was to look at some of the tools, techniques and equipment used to treat and store tree seed. This knowledge could then be used to improve the germination rates for seed sown in the nursery, improving production efficiency, plant quality and profitability of Powys Businesses.