PRT’s forestry seedling nursery network provides versatile supply services.

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Pacific Regeneration Technologies (PRT) Group’s forestry seedling nursery network can provide versatile seedling supply services and optimize on-time delivery of quality seedlings because of location variety, close proximity to customers and a computerized climate and irrigation control system, says Vice President of Business Development Herb Markgraf.

Producing more than 200 million forest seedlings per year, PRT concentrates on seed processing, specialized seed treatments, forest seedling production and quality testing, among other services.  

Today, it has 15 locations throughout Canada and the United States. The company started in 1988 and is now North America’s largest container-grown forest seedling company. “Like most Canadian provinces, the province of British Columbia was responsible for reforestation of harvested crown land up until the ’80s,” Markgraf says.

When the province put its nurseries up for sale in 1988, PRT bought six provincial nurseries and has since expanded further within BC and to Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Oregon.

Because the reforestation industry is so dependent upon climate, having a variety of growing locations is important. “We have locations in hot dry conditions,” Markgraf says. “So, for example, we can cost effectively grow pine seedlings destined for Ontario in outdoor growing compounds in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. If you’re a local nursery in Ontario, you can’t do that.”

Sharing Techniques
In addition to the ability to be closer to customers in different environments, PRT’s size enables it to share growing techniques from various regions. The 500-employee company also utilizes its range to grow and distribute seedlings to a variety of areas and minimize risk of crop damage due to weather.

“Three key words that we always try to enforce are value, reliability and service,” Markgraf says. Selecting the right growing locations, using proven growing methods and a computerized environmental control system helps the company implement these principles. This monitoring system helps PRT growers maintain optimal growing conditions and alerts staff whenever an environmental parameter falls out of the desired range. “If we have an outage or if a plant is growing in a cold environment and a gadget’s turned off, we’ll know about it,” Markgraf says.

PRT offers seed testing services and seed planning to foster thrifty seed use. No seed germinates at 100 percent, thus an over planting of seed is required to achieve the desired amount of seedlings for reforestation. The correct prediction of exactly how much additional seed to sow will save the customer seed, which is a valuable commodity.

PRT uses Styroblocks® – or foamed polystyrene containers – to grow most of its crops. These containers have tapered cavities to mold and guard the roots, which grow in peat moss. Once a seedling completes one or two growing seasons in the nursery (depending on the product), it is removed from its container. Unlike the field grown seedlings (known as bareroot seedlings), root systems of container seedlings hold the peat moss around their roots upon removal from their growing containers.

An Educated Staff
PRT stresses the value of customer service and works to ensure it by employing customer support representatives to handle customer concerns and provide technical assistance.

Represent-atives offer assistance to forest company silviculture foresters by providing information on seedling selection, seed requirements, growing location, storage issues, and cost saving opportunities.

Markgraf also believes careful hiring of CSRs has strengthened PRT’s customer support.