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 2000

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

Seedling Purchase and Sales Document

2005 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. Some expansion within the nursery industry is occurring at this time due to the trend towards bigger stock types which requires more area to grow the same number of seedlings, and therefore, more greenhouse space is being added.

Obtaining Seedling Contracts

Some licensees have established nurseries to produce trees to meet their own needs or approximately another 10 percent of the total seedling requirements. The other 90 percent of seedling requirements is produced in approximately 40 privately owned and operated nurseries located throughout the province. Contracts are issued with private nurseries to grow seedlings for the Ministry needs. The ministry funds approximately 15 percent of all seedlings grown with the licensees paying for the other 85 percent. 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.  Any contracts in the foreseeable future will be for containerized seedlings, which are generally grown in greenhouses. 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). The licensees use both a bid system and direct award system to award their seedling growing contracts.

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.