All seed destined for crown land reforestation must be registered with the Ministry of Forests and Range. Registration at the Tree Seed Centre (TSC) ensures that seedlots meet the applicable collection criteria specified in the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use. These standards include minimum requirements for genetic diversity and physical quality for BC and several northern US species and sources. The information is also used to guide transferability of seedlots to maximize forest productivity. Registration information and data integrity is maintained in the on-line web-based Seed Planning and Registry System (SPAR).

One may apply to have a lot registered in SPAR online by entering and submitting the Application for seedlot registration, which will generate a seedlot number for the collection. The requirements for seedlot registration in the Chief Forester’s Standards for Seed Use are all included in the SPAR online seedlot registration screen. The screen layout differs for a collection from a natural stand (Class B, B+) and a collection from a seed orchard (Class A). Collections from a seed orchard require entry of the cone and pollen counts for all the parent trees contributing to the seedlot.

Seedlot numbers from FS 721 forms are different from those generated from on line registration. If one has an unused FS 721 or FS 721A and wants to use the attached seedlot number for a collection, contact the TSC for entry of the seedlot number on SPAR as an incomplete application. The incomplete application with the requested seedlot number can then be updated online by the applicant. Another option for natural stand application is to submit to the TSC, a completed screen print of the Registration Application from SPAR or a completed FS 721 with an addendum (available from the TSC); signed by the seedlot owner, collector or person authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.

Online registration information can be updated by the applicant in either incomplete or pending status. The seedlot application for registration must be taken to Submitted Status on SPAR by the applicant or the application is not eligible for registration. Once the seedlot application has reached submitted status, any changes must be forwarded in writing to the TSC for updating.

For questions regarding seedlot registration and certification, contact Spencer Reitenbach, Inventory management Supervisor at Spencer.Reitenbach@gov.bc.ca.

A seedlot must also pass two physical quality tests to qualify for registration:

• The seeds in the lot must have a moisture content greater than or equal to 4% and less than or equal to 9.9% and
• The seedlot contains at least 97% pure seed by weight.

In addition to these specific criteria the TSC will provide the following results:

• The total weight of the seedlot.
• The average weight of seeds in the lot (supplied as seeds per gram [SPG])
• The germination capacity of the seedlot.

These are common requirements for natural stand and seed orchard seed. The specific requirements of each are presented below.

Natural stand seed

For seed collected from natural stands the seeds must have been collected from a minimum of ten trees. These trees must be in the same natural stand seed planning zone; the same biogeoclimatic zone and from a collection area with a radius of no greater than eight kilometres. If the seedlot is to be registered as a superior provenance then it must fall within the limits specified in Appendix 5 of the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use. This confirmation step will be aided in the future by maps to ensure seed is from the appropriate drainage and from natural stands. Collections from plantations are not eligible for registration. Transfer limits for natural stand seed are in Appendix 3 and transfer limits for superior provenances are in Appendix 4 of the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use.

Seed orchard seed

With the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use, seed orchard seed is registered with respect to the identity of parent trees contributing to the seedlot. The following provides a brief summary of registration requirements for seed orchard seed - for more detailed information see the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use. The parent trees may be untested or tested in field trials. A seedlot can be registered as collected from untested or tested parent trees given that the parental contribution of trees in the chosen category is equal to or greater than 70%. Custom lots are an additional type of registration in which the mean origin of the tested parent trees are used to determine transfer limits. The breeding values for parent trees in custom seedlots will default to untested parent tree breeding values for genetic worth calculations.

The transfer limits of untested parent trees are given in Appendix 4 of the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use. For tested parent trees the seedlot must be planted in the area of use that is common to all tested parent trees within the seedlot. There are two specific variables calculated for seed orchard seed:

Effective Population Size (Ne) is calculated based on the estimated gametic contributions of female and male parent trees. Formulas for calculating Ne are presented in Appendix 7 of the Chief Foresters standards and acceptable methods of estimating gametic contributions are contained in "Methods of estimating Gamete contributions to orchard seed crops and vegetative lots in British Columbia". A seedlot collected from parent trees must have an Ne equal to or greater than 10 under the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use to qualify for registration.

Genetic Worth (GW) is a measure of a seedlots genetic worth with respect to a specific trait.The trait is generally volume growth (G), but GW values also exist for wood density (D) and pest resistance (R). Formulas for calculating GW are also presented in Appendix 7 of the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use. The GW is not a required field for registration. If a seedlot has a GW greater to or equal to 5, complies with the transfer limit of your harvest block, and is owned or can be acquired then a seedlot of this type must be used for reforestation on crown land. There is no requirement to select the seedlot with the highest GW.

Confirmation of parent tree Breeding Values, common area of use, and Ne and GW calculations constitutes the registration requirements of seed orchard seedlots. The parent tree contribution records the ORCHARD ID(s) and primary SPU for the intended area of use. Gamete, SMP (supplemental mass pollination) and pollen contamination are also recorded. For lots from seed orchards where SMP has been applied the breeding value contribution of SMP pollen used on the parent trees can be calculated on SPAR. Genetic Worth and Effective Population Size are calculated by entering cone and pollen counts along with SMP information.

Lots collected from outside BC

Some seedlots collected from outside of BC are eligible for registration and use on crown land in BC. The eligible natural stand and seed orchard seedlots are listed in Appendix 6 of the Chief Forester's Standards for Seed Use. Any information required of seedlots from BC is also required of seedlots from non-BC sources.