While on the tour, they learned about the process for harvesting and properly storing such a high quantity of seedlings for distribution across the state. It begins with cone surveys done by CAL FIRE foresters to identify areas abundant with conifer cone crops. They report these areas to LAMRC staff, who follow up by completing cone sampling and collecting. If the cones meet LAMRC standards, they move onto processing and seed extraction.
During this stage, cones are dried out and broken apart to extract the seeds, with debris carefully removed. The seeds are then lab-tested to gather data that supports successful sowing. After this, they are packed, labeled, and placed in a 0°F seed bank for long-term preservation.
When a landowner or public land managers reaches out to order seeds or seedlings, LAMRC staff will identify the appropriate seed lots matching the potential planting site to ensure the seedlings will be well-adapted for that growing location. Once the order is approved, the seeds begin the process of stratification, where they weighed out, soaked in water, and placed in 35°F cold storage. Stratification breaks the seeds’ dormancy and simulates conditions experienced in nature.
After the seeds stratify for 7-16 weeks, they are ready to sow. The LAMRC staff prepare soil mixtures, plant the seeds in labeled Styrofoam containers, and place them in a greenhouse, where they will grow for the next 6-8 months. Once sprouted, they are moved to a shade house, which is a covered outdoor growing area. It takes another 6-8 months for the seedlings to grow to an ideal height of ~10 inches. During that time, seedlings are watered, fertilized, monitored for pests and diseases, and trimmed as needed. Once the proper size is reached, seedlings are graded for quality, packed into boxes, and placed in cold storage until they are picked up.
LAMRC’s long-term goal is to build a seed bank robust enough to support large-scale reforestation across California in the event of widespread forest loss. While they’ve made impressive progress, collecting enough high-quality seed is a slow and challenging process—especially with changing climate patterns. You can support them by keeping an eye out for good cone crops from a variety of species throughout Sonoma County:
- Southwest: coast redwood, Coulter pine, Douglas fir, Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, western white pine, and white fir.
- Southeastz: coast redwood, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, western white pine, and Coulter pine.
- Northeast: coast redwood, Douglas fir, western white pine, sugar pine, ponderosa pine, incense cedar, Jeffrey pine, knobcone pine, and white fir.
- Northwest: coast redwood, Douglas fir, Jeffrey pine, knobcone pine, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, western white pine, and white fir.
While many of the seedlings grown at LAMRC are used to restore wildfire-impacted areas, they also support other land management needs such as pest control, windbreaks, and landscaping. We are very grateful to CAL FIRE for opening up their facility and UCANR for organizing the tour. Our staff shared, “we had no idea that LAMRC’s goals involved that much seed but are happy to hear that there are ways local forest landowners can get involved in supporting their efforts.”
Our staff is excited to bring this knew knowledge to their field visits and technical assistance work. Ari shared that, “I will lookout for good cone crops whenever I’m out in the field now and I’ll be sure to mention it to landowners we work with.” If you’re a private landowner interested in requesting seeds or seedlings from LAMRC, you can learn more here.
