| Forest Seedling Contracts
Each year, approximately 15% of the seedlings grown for reforestation in British Columbia (approximately 40 million
seedlings) are funded by the government. These seedlings are grown under contract with private nurseries. These
seedling contracts are advertised on BC Bid and tendered, responses are reviewed by
the Nursery Contract Review Board and awards are based on price and past nursery performance. As part of
the contract process and the Seedling Trades program, the following are compiled:
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2001
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2002
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2003
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2004
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2005
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2006
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2007
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2008
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2009
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2010
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2011
Contracts Tendered & Awarded for 2012
Seedling Purchase and Sales Document
Seedling Stock Specifications
Current Contract Opportunities are posted
on BCBid as they become available.
Information for New Nurseries
This information is supplied by the Ministry of Forests BC Timber Sales Nursery Services section.
Background
Changes to the Forest Act in 1987 transferred the cost of reforestation from the government to the forest industry.
Approximately 230 million seedlings are planted annually in British Columbia.
| Total Seedling Demand by Year |
| 2000 |
231 million seedlings |
| 2007 |
266 million seedlings |
| 2008 |
214 million seedlings |
| 2009 |
186 million seedlings |
| 2010 |
177 million seedlings |
| 2011 |
238 million seedlings |
| Note: number of seedlings shipped is often a little less than what is requested |
Obtaining Seedling Contracts
Some licensees have established nurseries to produce trees to meet their own needs or approximately
10 percent of the total seedling
requirements. The other 90 percent of
seedling requirements is produced in
approximately 25 privately owned and operated nurseries located throughout the province. Contracts are issued with private nurseries
to grow seedlings for the Ministry needs.
Entry into the government seedling program is by way of competitive
bidding in response to publicly advertised invitations for tender proposals, which appear on the BC Bid website
(link above).
Bidders wishing to qualify must have experience at the commercial scale with growing plants (preferably conifer
and/or commercial forest species) in small containers, or employ an individual who has such experience. The person
who qualifies must have been responsible for making day-to-day decisions on nursery culture and crop management.
Only those bidders having fulfilled the qualification and experience requirements with container production will
be considered in the evaluation of tender proposals. Tender packages outlining requirements for the tender process
are available from BC Timber Sales Nursery Services section.
If the above criteria are met, the
ministry contracts are awarded on a
number of factors including: nursery's
previous performance, bid price, and
cost of delivering seedling from the
nursery to the planting site (trucking
cost).
Nursery Information
Please view the Directory of Forest Nurseries for a listing of private nurseries.
This is a complex and diverse industry, and before entering into such a venture one requires a solid background
(education, experience, and contacts) in the industry. When establishing a container seedling nursery, it is important
to become familiar with the cultural techniques involved in seedling production. If you are lacking in any of
these areas, it would be advisable to obtain first hand experience before proceeding. This may mean taking a job
at one of the forest seedling nurseries, talking to the licensees in your area to see what their future anticipated
demands are going be, (are they stable, growing or shrinking). It is a competitive business, and a decision to
enter the market is up to the private sector investor.
Seedling standards and requirements vary with the species and stock type being produced. Please see the
Stock Specifications. The information book, Containerized Forest Seedling Nursery Overview, will help you become
familiar with the forest nursery business.
For further information on seedling production, you may wish to contact one of the Nursery Services offices in
your area. Please refer to the sources of information list below.
If you would like additional information, please contact Allan.McDonald@gov.bc.ca,
or Patti.Kagawa@gov.bc.ca
at Headquarters BC Timber Sales.
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