The UK Nursery Industry
Looking in particular at the ConFor Nursery Producers’ Group
Given the significant strengthening of the euro versus sterling, UK-grown nursery stock now offers vastly greater value for money when compared to imports, an advantage that is combined with the many other benefits of using homegrown stock. At a time when planting in the forestry and woodland sector is regrettably much reduced, nurseries are sitting with high stocks and crops waiting to be planted.

This is a difficult time for much of British industry, but particularly for the nursery sector. The feeling is that the forestry sector, and contractors as a whole, must support their local and UK nurseries. Without this support, when planting eventually picks up, the nurseries may simply not be there! A number of key nurseries established the ConFor Nursery Producers’ Group in 2003, as a special interest group of progressive, commercial UK forest nurseries.

All operate to an agreed code of conduct and best practice; offering transparency and giving confidence to specifiers and customers. Nurseries in the group work together to further the UK nursery industry, for the benefit of UK forestry. Membership is restricted to nurseries that have at least 40 hectares under forest nursery stock production in the UK, or who can demonstrate that at least 60% of their turnover is generated from sales of homegrown UK stock. Members are also required to disclose to their customers, for all sales, the seed sources of their own grown stock or disclose that the stock has been sourced from another nursery where applicable. Members must also adhere to, and be registered under, the Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) Regulations.

The main aims and objectives of the group are to promote the use and benefits of UK-grown nursery stock; to remove doubts and uncertainty about origins and sources of plants; to demonstrate supply chain traceability; and to proactively coordinate research and improving
husbandry techniques. The group also provides a channel for the exchange of information and facilitates a targeted and responsive approach to lobby for support of the UK forest nursery industry, in a climate of stiff foreign competition and subsidised imports.

There are very good reasons for using UK-grown nursery stock – assured quality of supply; planting stock acclimatised to UK conditions; minimal handling and transport of live plants; and of course the benefits from the comprehensive new FRM traceability protocol. Additionally, continual use of homegrown stock will ensure a viable and competitive nursery base which can remain available to supply the forest industry in the future.

Current members of the group are Alba Trees plc, Cheviot Trees Ltd, Christie-Elite Nurseries Ltd, Christies (Fochabers) Ltd, Maelor Forest Nurseries, Prees Heath Forest Nurseries and TreesPlease. Alba Trees is the UK’s largest producer of cell-grown trees and shrubs, selling some 7 million per annum, grown on one site at Haddington, East Lothian. Founded on a greenfield site in 1988 under the Business Expansion Scheme, the nursery was designed by Rodney Shearer as Production Director, succeeding Peter Church as Managing Director
in 2003. Over 100 species are grown, including reeds for water treatment and wildflowers, in Rootrainer cells, or a variation of these. With the exception of vegetatively propagated
Sitka spruce and some willows, all are grown from seed.

There are 30 full-time employees and anything up to this number of additional contract staff at busy times. James Hepburne Scott, Sales Director, explains, “About one third of our trees go into commercial forestry for restocking and new planting. One third go into new native woodlands including Caledonian pine-based schemes, a speciality of Alba since its foundation. The remainder goes for landscaping, including a range of stock grown on in 1.8 litre containers, for hedging and to other nurseries for growing on.

“An important sector for the company is corporate promotions, mail order and schemes such as the Woodland Trust’s very successful Trees for All project which supplies tree packs to schools and youth groups.” Alba aims to keep ahead through research and development, headed up by Barry Sutton, Development Director, who created the unique stock control and traceability system which is essential in keeping track of the many provenances of native
trees grown. He also introduced the Swedish Bracke mounding/planting machine into the UK, and pioneered the application of reduced volume/ extended life insecticide for weevil protection and the Alba WeeNet patented by him and James.

In 21 years the company has produced almost 100 million plants and holds the Royal Warrant from HM The Queen for regularly supplying Sandringham and Balmoral Estates.
Alba Trees 01620 825058
www.albatrees.co.uk

Cheviot Trees was established in 1987 and pioneered cell-grown tree production in the UK. Continually developing, Cheviot now supplies a full range of planting stock nationwide,
and is currently merging its two nursery units into one, at Cheviot’s main state-of-the-art production nursery at Foulden in the Scottish Borders. The company employs 20 fulltime
staff, retains an experienced qualified forester, and a horticulturist and has both sound practical knowledge and the expertise to support any requirements in the field.

Cheviot Trees supplies commercial forestry planting stock, as well as planting stock for the landscape and amenity markets. Specialising in cell-grown production of native tree species, they also undertake contract and consultancy work in woodland and tree establishment.
Local provenance seed collections and plant production form a significant part of the business. Work is also undertaken in the areas of environmentally sensitive plantings,
land regeneration and contaminated land restoration.

Cell-grown trees have proven to be a very effective tool on a range of hostile sites, including coal mine restoration, coastal, marginal land and exposed roadside contracts, giving very successful results. Cheviot Trees also offers a product well suited to high survival in the increasingly changeable and often harsh, dry and windy climate to which the UK is accustomed.

The current large range of species Cheviot grows is being widely used not only in the traditional planting sectors, but increasingly in the wood fuel and wood energy, conservation and environment, and The UK Nursery Industry Looking in particular at the ConFor Nursery
Producers’ Group Beech seedlings germinating at Maelor Forest Nurseries in Bronington.
Rodney Shearer, Managing Director of Alba Trees, with the Nursery staff. wetland and water margin markets. Sales are nationwide and customers range from the Forestry Commission to private forestry, estate woodland, farm woodland, amenity and landscaping sectors.

In recent years the company has seen a large upturn in the contract growing of trees, especially suited to production of specific seed sources and provenances, and today this
offers the most economical way to plan plant procurement, where competitive cost is crucial.
Cheviot also has a full stock of planting accessories.
Cheviot Trees 01289 386755
www.cheviot-trees.co.uk

Christie-Elite Nurseries produce a full range of conifer and broadleaved planting stock, bare-rooted and cell-grown, and supply tree shelters, Electrodyn treatment, coldstorage and other accessories. The highly bred ‘Elite’ Sitka spruce has been produced on site for over 25 years; recent research on stands approaching maturity clearly demonstrates the benefits. Results
from the felling and timber analysis of trees in 37-year-old research plots of ‘Elite’ Sitka and Queen Charlotte Islands (QCI) Sitka has now been published in a Research and Information Note. In summary, the Forestry Commission Research Branch found that improved Sitka spruce offers substantial increases in the volume of green logs and sawn timber relative
to unimproved QCI material.

This increased volume is obtained with no significant differences in strength-grading pass rate at the sawmill, meaning the improved material is at least comparable to unimproved QCI in terms of suitability for construction grades. The study has confirmed that the selected
stock will show no significant decrease in construction grade pass rates at the sawmill. The volume per hectare of battens satisfying the various construction strength classes will however be substantially increased. Forest managers can also be confident that a small decrease in wood density will not result in a decrease of the proportion of battens meeting the C16 and C24 machine strength-grading criteria.

These trials were carried out on timber produced from stock raised from open-pollinated ‘Plus’ trees. The ‘Elite’ Sitka currently available is raised from seed where both parent trees are from proven superior stock. Accordingly the gains as demonstrated by the trials are the
very least that can be expected.

Current vegetatively propagated ‘SuperElite’ transplants have predicted gains of 22 per cent in diameter and 18 per cent in form with maintained timber density.
Christie Elite 01309 672 633
www.christie-elite.co.uk

Located at Bronington on the Welsh Borders, Maelor Forest Nurseries is independently owned and produces an extensive range of commercial forestry, Christmas tree and native broadleaf species, marketing approximately 12 million trees a year to customers throughout the
UK and Europe. Maelor has been a key player in promoting the use of British seed sources. Through its own UK seed collections Maelor is able to offer a range of provenances suitable
for different planting locations. Wherever possible, plants for new woodland and hedging should be grown from seed collected in the same geographical/climatic zone as the planting site. Where planting is into ancient semi-natural woodland, use of local seed is even more
important.

Maelor aims to make separate collections from as many different geographical areas as possible. However if a client has a planting scheme that demands very site specific stock, then they can discuss contract growing with the client. They may be able to arrange for
collection of seed from the client’s site and would then treat the seed and grow it on. Having good contacts with many research institutions and advisory bodies, technical work carried out at Maelor aims to improve growing conditions in the nursery to produce a better quality plant and to ensure that this quality is maintained right down the line from despatch to planting out and beyond. Research and technical work is carried out in the areas of vegetative propagation of Improved Sitka, root electrolyte testing, pest and disease control
and husbandry techniques.

Maelor is now producing the very best available full sibling Sitka spruce planting stock from the FC’s Northern Research station’s conifer breeding programme.
Maelor 01948 710606
www.maelor.co.uk

Prees Heath Forest Nurseries was established by David Gwillam and will be celebrating 30 years in business this year. Nursery Manager, Kevin Bywater, has been with the company for 7 years and has over 30 years of nursery experience. Located in North Shropshire, the nursery covers 55 acres of heathland soil, growing top quality bare-rooted British trees. They also offer the supply of cell- and container-grown trees and shrubs, and stock a wide range of sundries including guards, stakes, and canes. Orders are lifted just prior to delivery in order that the trees are in prime condition, delivered by the nursery’s own transport nationwide.
The nursery is open for inspection by prior arrangement.
Prees Heath 01948 841353

TreesPlease is situated in the bottom of the Tyne Valley at the southern end of Northumberland, between Hexham and Corbridge. The land at Corbridge is predominantly a very fine sandy loam which is ideal for promoting good growth. TreesPlease has developed its
unique side air pruning technique which furthers the process of undercutting and encourages the plants to produce large quantities of young feeding fibre which, in turn, allows for a better start following transplanting.

November to April is the busiest season for the company, when they are harvesting and delivering bare root whips and standards around the UK. For much bigger rootballed trees and for the supply of specialist plants they have a sourcing department dedicated to tracking down clients’ needs, who will normally get back to the client with solutions within 24 hours.

TreesPlease supplies many hundreds of instant impact rootballed trees for both screening and architectural purposes as well as supplying potted shrubs etc for landscaping and municipal projects. Many of the more common lines are now grown at Dilston along with the large-scale production of bare root plants. TreesPlease can offer tree shelters, solid spiral guards and Europe’s biggest selling range of mesh tree guards. To accompany the tree guards are untreated hardwood stakes made from acacia. They have very few knots, a natural resistance to decay and are far superior to a softwood equivalent.

All bare root trees are packed in heavy-gauge, Forestry Commission approved, black and white coextruded bags. TreesPlease use their own transport for deliveries around the north of England and south of Scotland and carriers for most of the rest of the UK.
TreesPlease 01434 633049
www.treesplease.co.uk