Tree Seed Centres
by Heather Rooke

For nearly 50 years, the Tree Seed Centre (TSC) in BC (part of the BC Ministry of Forests and Range’s Forest Stewardship Division, Tree Improvement Branch) has been offering a variety of critical services to a large and diverse group of clients including forest licensees, Ministry of Forests and Range, seed orchards, forest nurseries, tree seed dealers, First Nations, researchers, educators, and the public. The centre is located on 6.7 hectares of land in Surrey. The TSC facilities are comprised of offices, cone preconditioning areas, cone and seed processing and distribution areas, dedicated seed laboratory, coolers, and long-term storage vaults. The TSC has been designated “Mission Critical” within the Ministry’s overall business continuation plan.

For many years, the TSC mission has been “Excellence in cone and seed services”. The variety of services provided by the TSC, often referred to as the Seed Handling System, form a chain of custody and integral link in a complex gene resource management system. Seedlot diversity, identity, and quality must be maintained and carefully tracked during and after a seedlots active life. The best scientific and technical information guide decision making and continuous improvement. The following quality assurance and stewardship services are provided by the TSC:

Registration
All seed destined for Crown land reforestation is registered. As part of this process, the TSC ensures that seedlots meet applicable collection criteria as specified in the Chief Forester’s Standards for Seed Use (www.for.gov.bc.ca/code/cfstandards/). The standards include minimum requirements for genetic diversity and physical quality for BC and several northern US species and sources. This information is also used to guide transferability of seedlots to maximize forest productivity. Registration information and data integrity is maintained in a web-based Seed Planning and Registry System (SPAR), which also allows clients to apply for registration online.

Seed Storage
The TSC is responsible for storage and maintenance of optimum physical quality of seeds destined for BC Crown land reforestation. This past year, 5 metric tonnes were added to long-term seed storage (the equivalent of 586 million potential trees), and 3 metric tonnes were withdrawn. The seed inventory also has a risk management role in the event of catastrophic losses resulting from wildfire, insects, disease, and climate change, and includes a dedicated seed bank for gene conservation purposes. Inventory management activities include the addition of new and returned seedlots; withdrawals for reforestation, research, education, and public relations; seed and seedlot quality and quantity assurance checks; and management of information related to seed availability, ownership, sales/transfers, and history of use. Clients may request that withdrawn seed be forwarded without treatment (dry), pelleted in the case of western red cedar and alder, or stratified using standard or customized methods. 

Seed Testing
Standard tests are performed on new and stored seedlots and include moisture content, purity, seed weight, and germination capacity. Seeds per gram and germination rates are derived from principal test results. X-rays of all new seedlots are also taken. Work in this area is in accordance with International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) and Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) rules, Ministry of Forests and Range seedlot registration policy and/or TSC standards. Quality assurance tests are performed on a portion of a seedlot, a specific point in processing, or on a specific request. Test types, sampling methods, sample sizes, and size and number of replications may vary between quality assurance and standard test types. Seedlots and requests may also be subject to fungal assay testing. Work in the testing business area also supports research trials. 

Cone & Seed Processing
Processing of cones and seeds includes detailed seedlot evaluation, conditioning of cones, extraction of seed from cones, and the removal of debris and non-viable seed. Cone and seed evaluation services prior to and during collection and interim storage are provided. Other services include returned seed and seedlot upgrading, research, and small lot processing. As a result of mountain pine beetle concerns and increasing orchard production cone and seed processing volumes are three times that of the past 10-year average, at about 10,000 hectolitres each year. In order to meet increasing production levels, cone and seed processing operations run continuously throughout the year, at times on a multi-shift basis. Staff at the TSC are also seeing an increase in requests for expedited processing and service complexity, particularly for those production, family, and research lots originating from seed orchards. 

Information Management
The TSC utilizes a two level information management system. The corporate Seed Planning and Registry (SPAR) web-based system captures seedlot and service request high level and summary data. SPAR is used by both the Ministry of Forests and Range and industry clients. The local Cone and Seed Processing (CONSEP) system captures detailed data, and receives and sends high level and summary data to SPAR. These systems work together to capture and report about seedlots and requests, supporting just-in-time service delivery and decision management. Systems also support financial and administrative operations and play a key role in continuous improvement and knowledge management.

Cone and Seed Improvement
The TSC conducts applied and basic research on tree seed throughout the entire seed handling system, constructs and summarizes quality assurance programs, and performs education, extension, and formal and informal communication activities. Activities in this area play a key role in addressing issues of importance to conifer seed science and technology.

Administrative Operations
Finance and administration staff play a key role in supporting TSC’s operations, staff, and budget management. The facilities and site operations team is dedicated to managing and protecting all site, building, and equipment assets.
For more information about the TSC program, its activities and services, visit www.for.gov.bc.ca/hti/treeseedcentre/index.htm.

Heather Rooke is Manager of the Tree Seed Centre, Tree Improvement Branch, and can be contacted at 604-541-1683 x 224 or Heather.Rooke@gov.bc.ca.