Nurseries Sourcebook

7/30/2019 Nurseries Sourcebook

1/64

S

OURCEBOOK

Options in Support of Sustainable Development

World Agroforestry Centre Winrock International University of Philippines Los Baos

TREE NURSERYSOURCEBOOK

Jam es M . Roshet ko, Enr iqu e L. Tolent ino, Jr., W ilfr edo M . Car an da ng ,

M anu el Bert om eu, Alexander Tabb ada , Gerha rd E.S. M anu run g, Cal ixto E. Yao


2/64


3/64

Tree Nursery Sou rcebo ok -

Opt ion s in Sup po r t o f

Sust ainable Develop m ent

Jam es M . Roshetko,

Enr iqu e L. Tolent ino, Jr.,

W i l f redo M . Carandang,

M anue l Ber tomeu,

Alexand er Tabb ada ,

Gerhar d E.S. M anur ung,Cal ixt o E. Yao

Wo rld Agroforestr y Centre

Winrock In ternat iona l

an dUniversity o f Phi l ippin es Los Baos


4/64

@ Wo rld Agrofor est ry Centre ICRAF, 2010

Wo rld Agroforestr y Centre

Winrock Internat ional

Roshet ko, J.M ., E.L. Tolen t ino , Jr., W.M .Carand ang, M .

Bert om eu, A. Tabb ada, G.E.S. M anu ru ng, and C.E. Yao. 201 0.

Tree Nu rsery Sour cebook - Op tio ns in Supp ort of Sustainable

Developm ent . W orld Agrofo rest ry Cent er-ICRAF and W inrock

Inter natio nal. Bogor, Indon esia. 52 p.

ISBN 978-979-3198-47-7

This publ icat ion w as m ade possib le thro ugh th e suppo rt o f t he

organization s l isted in t he acknow ledgem ent s. The opinion s

expressed here in are t hose of t he auth ors and d o no t

necessari ly ref lect th e v iews of t he suppo rt ing organization s.

Publ ished b y:

ICRAF Southeast Asia Regional Office

PO Box 161

Bogor, 16001, Indon esia

Pho ne: +62 251 8625-415

Fax: +62 251 8625-416Web: www.wor ldagroforestry .org/sea

2101 Riverf ront Dr ive

Litt le Rock, Ar kansas 7220 2

Phon e: 1 501 280-3000

Fax: 1 501 280 -3090

We b : h t t p : / / w w w.w in ro ck .o rg /

Layout and design by Tikah Atikah

Cover i l lustrat ion b y Ariel Lucerna


5/64

Content

i i i

v

1

5

23

31

37

45

47

51

Foreword

Acknowledgement

Chapt er 1. W hat are t ree nurser ies?

Chap ter 2. Nu rsery typ es and character ist ics

Chapt er 3. Nursery plann ing and b est p ract ices

Chap ter 4. Nu rsery l inkages and dyn am ics

Chap ter 5. Cho osing a nu rsery

Summary

Glossary of techn ical term s

Bibl iography

i


6/64


7/64

Foreword

Tree n urseries are a key success factor in m any fore st ry and agricult ure

developm ent int ervent ion s. Over the last t w o decades, the Wo r ld

Agrofo rest ry Cent re (ICRAF), W inro ck Int ern ation al, and University of

Phil ippines Los Bao s (UPLB) have wo rked w ith hu nd reds of sm all-scale

and large-scale t ree n urseries across Sou t heast Asia. M ost o f t ho senu rseries w ere located in Indo nesia and t he Phil ippines. The purp ose of

th e nurser ies has var ied from com m ercia l b iom ass prod uct ion, t o land

rehabi l i ta t ion and fo rest conservat ion , to local capacity bui ld ing and

l ivel ihood enh ancement . Par tn ers involved w i th o perat ing tho se

nurser ies have inc luded farm ers, entrep reneurs, com m ercia l f i rm s, non -

governm ent o rganizat ions (NGOs), com m un ities, pro jects, and

governm ent agencies.

The size, com po sit io n, and lo ngevity o f t ho se nu rseries have varied also.

Indiv idual- and fam i ly-run nurser ies typical ly prod uced from 50 t o severalt ho usand seedlings/season . Large com m ercial or govern m ent nu rseries

prod uced 100,000 seedl ings/ season o r m ore. On average group or

com m unit y nurser ies prod uced 10,000 seedl ings/ season. Sim ple

backyard n urser ies w ere of t en establ ished w i th th e resources th at could

be fou nd local ly. M ost group and com m unit y nurser ies w ere establ ished

w ith external supp ort f rom projects , NGOs, or governm ent agencies.

Som e large-scale com m ercial nu rseries w ere establ ished and o perated

w ith th e latest s tate-of- the-ar t t echnology. Nursery prod uct ion fo cused

on t im ber species, M PTS (mu lt ip le pu rpose tree species) , com m odit ycrops (ru bb er, cacao, coffee, et c), or a com binat ion o f t ho se species typ e.

M any of t he nu rser ies associated w i th projects , operated fo r 1 t o 2 years,

or ceased t o ex ist af ter t he pro ject c losed. How ever, m any oth er

nurser ies evolved from project supp ort to b ecom e independent sel f -

sustaining and even com m ercial enter prises.

Through t he experien ce of w or king w ith t ree nurseries ICRAF, Win rock,

and UPLB have had o ppo rt uni t y to assist hun dreds of t hou sands of

farm ers, NGO and p roject s taf f, com m unit y w orkers, extension agents,

researchers, and govern m ent off ic ials enh ance th eir techn ical capacity,estab l ish successfu l tree nu rseries, and cont r ibu te t o land reh abil i tat ion

and l ivel ihoo d enh ancem ent . ICRAF, W inro ck, and UPLB have been

i i i


8/64

enr iched by the oppor t un i ty and ga ined pro foun d u nderstand ing and

insight regarding th e developm ent and evolut ion of t ree n urser ies as a

com pon ent of nat ional reforestat io n and tree plant ing program s.

This sourcebook w as w r i t t en t o share th e learningand ins ights from th ose

exper iences wi t h a b roader audience. I t is not a technical m anual . Rather

th e sourcebook p rov ides interested indiv iduals and o rganizat ions w i th

suff ic ient info rm ation and general pr inc ip les regarding th e ident i f icat ion

and developm ent o f the r igh t t ype o f nursery fo r th e i r cond i t ions .

Readers are w elcom ed t o u se and share t he sourcebook f reely and

encouraged to contact th e aut hors w i th com m ents and inpu ts regarding

th e sourceboo k or t ree nurser ies in general .

The Auth ors

iv

SourcebookonTREENURSERIES


9/64

Acknowledgements

The know ledge and info rm ation shared in th is sourcebook w as generated

w ith th e assistan ce of a vast n um ber o f ind ividuals and or ganizatio ns, far

too num erous to m ent ion by nam e. Organ iza t ions and pro jects tha t m ade

sign i f icant cont r ibu t ion to the documenta t ion and comp i lat ion o f

inform ation regarding tree nurser ies inc lude t he:-Nit rog en Fixing Tree Associat ion (N FTA);-St rengt hening Germ plasm Security fo r NGOs and Sm allholders in

Indo nesia Sub -pro ject (Ind onesia Forest Seed Project funded) ;-NGO Agrof orest ry Supp ort Progr am (Rockefel ler Broth ers Fund

supported) ;-Rehabil i t at ion of Agricult ura l System s in Aceh Developing

Nur series of Excel lence Progr am (Canad ian Int ernat ional

Developm ent Agencyfunded) ;

-Leuser Nurseries of Excellence Progr am (Leuser Intern at iona lFoundat ion, Aceh Forest and Environment Pro ject , M ul t i Donor

Fund (M DF) an d Wor ld Bank);-Agro forestry Innovat ions and Livel ihood Enhan cem ent in West

Java Prog ram (United Sta tes Agency for Internat ional

Development(USAID) Jakarta M ission f un ded );-Development o f Col laborat ive Orangut an Habi tat Protect ion in th e

Batang Toru Wat ershed, Nor t h Sum atr a Project (USAIDJakarta

M ission funded );

-Negot iat ion Suppo rt System (NSS) for Nat ura l Resource Conf l ictResolut ion to Enhan ce Environm enta l Services Progr am (USAID

East Asia and Pacif ic Environm enta l Ini t iat ivefunded) ;-ICRAF's smallh old er agro fo restr y syst em s research and

developm ent act iv i t ies in Visayas and M indanao, th e Phi lippines;

and-The Span ish Ag ency for Interna t ional Coop erat ion (AECI).

Addit ionally, Tikah Atikahdesigned, form atted, and fac il i ta ted t he

produc t ion o f the sourcebook ; Carlos W il l iam Azucenaassisted inorgan izing the authors ' know ledge and input fo r deve lopm ent o f t he

sourcebook; Ariel Lucernadeveloped t he i l lustrat ion s inc luded in t he

sourcebook, and Abby M i llerd edi ted t he sourcebook.

v


10/64


11/64

Cha pt er 1

W HAT ARE TREE NURSERIES?

BackgroundA tree n ursery is a m anaged site, designed t o pro du ce tree seedlings

grow n un der favorable cond i t ions unt i l they are ready for p lant ing. It can

be an inform al, sm al l-scale arrangem ent or a large com m ercia l

ent erpr ise. Nurseries vary in size, faci li t ies (sup plies, to ols, equipm ent ,

etc), types of seedlings pro du ced, and op eratio ns. They also d iffer

signi f icant ly in q ual i ty and q uant i ty of p lant ing sto cks prod uced.

How ever, a ll nurser ies pr im ar i ly aim to prod uce suff icient q uant i t ies of

high q uali t y seedlings to satisfy t he n eeds of seedling users. Users include

th e nu rsery op erator t hem selves, indiv iduals, com m unit y organizat ions,

farm er group s, governm ent agencies, non -governm ent organizat ions,

corporate or pr ivate custo m ers.

Nurser ies m ay oft en prov ide incom e generat ing opp ort uni t ies for t he

op erator s and en hance t he social capit al, technical capacity and

1


12/64

leadership ski l ls of com m unit ies. Sm allholder t ree nu rseries also serve as

im por tant t ra in ing and research ground for m any sm al lholder farm ers. In

t he Phil ipp ines and Indo nesia, exposure to nu rseries helped sm allholde r

farm ers develop t hose capabi l it ies and t he conf idence to im prove and

conserve t heir landh oldin gs t hro ugh sm all-scale tree farm ing. Variou sagr icul ture and forestry projects und ertaken in bot h count r ies inc lude t he

developm ent o f

nu rseries. Oft en, th ese

projects spaw n t he

establ ishm ent of sel f -

help and self-sustaining

local nurseries, w hich

remain fun c t iona l af te r

pro ject te rm inat ion .These local nur serie s

m ay be l inked in a

ne twork to m eet

pro ject , com m uni ty or

m arket needs. They

m ay also fu nct ion

independent ly to

addr ess operato rs'

need s or serve acombinat ion o f o u ts ide

and p r ivate needs.

Governm ent and non -governm ent agencies of t en prov ide mo dest

supp ort to enhance the developm ent o f local nurser ies, in recogni t ion of

th e spontaneou s grow th of local nu rser ies. These effor t s stren gthen local

l ive l ihood developm ent and sustain p ubl ic reforestat ion in i t ia t ives. In

m any areas where nursery developm ent has f lour ished, farm ers a lso

develop ed keen int erest s in col lecting and pro pagating diverse species,

includin g indigenou s tr ees. Such nu rseries have becom e r ich repo sito r iesof t ree biodiversi ty .

Tree seeds germ inate and trees grow readi ly under n atural condi t ions.

These del icate germ inant s (young seedlings) and you ng t rees are exposed

to adverse dry-season condi t ions and intense com peti t ion from ot her

plant s in nat ural forests or p lantat ions. Tree nu rseries can pro vide

opt im um care and attent ion t o seedl ings dur ing t heir cr i t ica l juveni le

stage, result ing in t he pro du ction of h ealthy, vigorous seedlings. In m any

cases successful reforestation requires nursery-grown seedlings, sincedegraded areas have u nfavorable condi t ions m aking natural regenerat io n

or d i rect seeding not feasib le.

2


13/64

Good nursery operat ions incorporate t he select ion of t he best q ual i ty

seeds and seedl ings, th us in i t ia t ing t ree im provem ent. Ad di t ion al ly,

nu rseries are advantageous in p rop agating re calcitrant seeds (e.g.

dipt erocarps and m any fruit species) and species w ith irregular

f low er ing/ fru i t ing. The seeds of th ese species can b e sto red and sow nun der t he favorable cond it io ns repl icable in n urseries. Nurseries are also

good venues for vegetat ive propagat ion operat ion s. The cul t ivat ion o f

species that are ot herw ise di f f icu l t t o p ropagate, can b e

enhanced/ expanded th rough good nursery operat ion s ( i .e. proper seed

sto rage, vegetative pro pagat ion, att ent ive seedling care).

In th e Phi l ippines, an est im ated 5.4 m i l l ion ha is in need of reh abi l ita t ion

(Forest M anagem ent Bureau, 2002). Approxim ately 4.0 m i l lion ha o f t hat

area is classif ied as op en fo rest , i .e. having discon t inuo us tr ee cover o f

10% to 40% (Forest M anagem ent Bureau, 2007). The Governm ent 'sannu al reforestation target r em ains 50,000 h a (FAO and FM B-DENR,

2003). Using stan dard spacing of 2x2 m to 3x3 m , this target require s 56

to 1 25 m il l ion seedlings per year. The area of degraded land in Indo nesia

w as 30 mi l l ion ha. W i th comm i tm ent f rom the Governm ent o f Indonesia

6 m i l l ion ha w ere rehabi li ta ted bet w een 2003 and 2008 ( Indr iastu t i ,

2009). To cont inu e th is rehabi l i tat io n t rend at rate of 0.5 to 1.0 m i l l ion h a

per year, even at a w ide spacing (4 x 4 m ), w i l l require betw een 312 t o

625 m il l ion seedlings per year.

Exten sive nursery faci l i t ies wil l be n eeded t o achieve the staggering

seedl ing dem and and land rehabi l i ta t ion f igures c ited above.

Fur t herm ore, the lands in need o f rehabi l i ta t ion are foun d across th e

Phi l ippines and Indo nesia and, as in m ost countr ies, of t en in rem ot e

areas. Experien ce indicates th at m ost count r ies have had l im ited success

w ith t op-dow n pu bl ic reforestat io n ef for t s, because the o bject ives and

resources of local stakeho lders are usually not included in t he p rocess.

Governm ents shou ld supp ort , thro ugh direct and ind irect m eans, a large

num ber of nu rser ies and par tn ers i f they w ant to fac i li ta te th e

achievement of land rehabi l i ta t ion targets. For t unately, a broad range of

exist ing and po ten t ial nursery faci l i t ies are avai lable in m ost count r ies.

This sourceboo k is wr i t ten for pol icymakers and local governm ents,

project designers and program im plem enters, governm ent land

m anagem ent agencies and exten sion staff, NGO m anagers and f ield staff,

farm er leaders and farm er groups. In shor t , t h is boo k is intend ed for any

organizat ion or indiv idual in terested in t ree nu rser ies, reforestat io n o rtree plant ing act iv i t ies.

This sourceboo k aims to pro v ide readers w i th suff ic ient infor m ation,

exam ples and general pr inc ip les to ident i fy and develop t he r ight t ype of

Purp ose of t h is Boo k

3


14/64

nursery for t he prevai ling cond i t ions of t heir respect ive

reforestat ion / tree plant ing si tuat ions. W hi le th is docum ent pro v ides

som e techn ica l in form at ion , it i s no t in tended to be a comp lete m anual

for nursery m anagem ent. Indeed, th ere are a lready num erous

com prehensive nursery m anagem ent m anuals. The scope o f t hesourcebook is Sout heast Asia, w i th m ost of t he exper ience ci ted com ing

from th e Phi lippines and Indo nesia. The sourcebook is how ever,

appl icable to a l l t rop ical cond i t ions.

Subsequent chapt ers of t he sourceboo k inc lude t he fo l low ing:

-Nu rsery Type s and Character ist ics-Nur sery Planning and Best Pract ices-Nur sery Linkages and Dynam ics

-Cho osing a Nu rsery-Summary

4


15/64

Cha pt er 2

NURSERY TYPES AND

CHARACTERISTICS

Tree nurser ies vary great ly f rom a few dozen seedl ings grow n u nder th e

backyard t ree to a m echanized com m ercia l enterp r ise produ cing m i l l ions

of seedlings per year. Despit e th e great variet y, ther e are four m ajor

nu rsery typ es: inst i tu t iona l nur series, project n urseries, grou p nu rseries,

an d indiv idual nurser ies. Inst i t ut ional nurser ies are fur t her com pr ised of

th ree sub -catego ries: research nu rseries, govern m ent nur series, an d

indu st r ial nurseries. This is no t a defin it ive classif ication , and t he

dynam ism of t ree nurser ies m ay lead to over laps betw een th e categor ies.

The n ursery t ypes explored in th is sourcebook w i l l com prehensively

cover al l tr ee nursery system s or t ree pro pagat ion n eeds.

5


16/64

The nursery types w i l l be com pared on t he fo l low ing bases: descr ipt ion,

object ives, com m erc ia l or ientat ion, qual i ty and qu ant i t ies of inp ut s and

prod ucts, technology, m anagem ent, research/ innovat ions, capaci ty

bui ld ing, exten sion and ot her serv ices, extern al / in t ernal supp ort ,

advantages and l imi t at ions.

Research nu rseriesare com m only establ ished, operated and m ainta ined

by research unit s of govern m ent agencies, academ ic inst i tu t ions,

corpo ration s or in ter nat ional o rganizat ions. In m ost cases, research

nurser ies are designed t o b e perm anent faci l i t ies, operat ing for a

m inim um of 5 -10 years. W hile research nurseries vary great ly in size, they

a ll tend to have soph ist icated equ ipm ent com plemented w i th

perm anent/ durable infrastr uctures. Supp l ies, mater ia ls, equipm ent, to olsand instrum entat ion s are usual ly adequate to prod uce seedl ings and

diagnose/analyze seedling performance.

Industr ia l nurseriesar e

com m only establ ished and

operated by large integrated

w oo d ind ustr ies. These large

tr ee nu rseries have high

produ ct ion capacit ies and

generate large volum es of

seed lings annu ally. Seed ling

produc t ion com pl ies w i th

r igid quali t y stan dards or

specificatio ns. Ther e is st rict

qua l ity cont ro l in t he ent i re

produ ct ion process.

Perm anent faci li t ies in t hese

nu rseries are designed t o

operate for a long per iod of t im e. Indu str ia l nurser ies can prov ide qu al ity

seedl ings to com m unit ies of sm al lholder farm ers inc luding pr ivate tree

farm ers w ho w ant t o serve as out growers for industr ia l p lantat ion s. Som e

indu st r ial nu rseries also p rod uce seedlings for com m ercial sale. Seedlings

pro du ced by th ese nurseries can be ho rt icultu ral species.

Governm ent nurser iesare establ ished and o perated b y nat ion al and local

governm ent agencies to support reforestat ion and com m unit y t ree

plant ing p rograms. The governm ent operat ion s are generally large in area

and scale of op erat ion s, w i th produ ct ion capaci t ies d ictated b ygovernm ent t argets. Other governm ent un i ts or com m unit ies a lso

col laborate w i th t he nurser ies to prov ide seedl ings to m eet n at ional or

local need s. In recent years, governm ent d ecentral ization in m any

Descript ion

6


17/64

count r ies has result ed

in the devo lu t ion o f

t ree nu rseries or local

management .

Governm ent nurser ies

have less int ensive

nu rsery seedling

cul t ivat ion operat ions

and a sm aller

ma n p o w e r

com p lem en t than

ind ustr ial nurseries.

W hi le there are

except ions, lim i ted em phasis is p laced on th e qu al ity of seedl ings

prod uced in governm ent nurser ies. The seedl ing produ ct ion process is

not m arket-dr iven, but is governed m ore by requests from governm ent

organization s or lo cal const i tu ent s.

Project nurseriesare th ose establ ished and m anaged by projects , non -

governm ent o rganization s (NGOs) or developm ent o rganizat ions. They

prom ote a t ree p lant ing cu ltu re w i th in t a rget com m uni t ies. The in tended

li fespan o f pro ject nu rseries is usually 3-5 years, but m ay cont inue fo r

longer per iod s. Produ ct ion capacity var ies from 10,000 to 100,000seedlings per year. Organization s m anaging pro ject n urseries are

general ly non -techn ical agencies emp loying specialist s in n ursery

operat ion . Project nu rser ies are usual ly establ ished at t he com m unit y

level . Com m unit y m em bers par t ic ipate in nursery p lanning and w ork in

th e nurser ies to vary ing degrees; how ever the project o r organizat ion

hand les nu rsery m anagem ent . Project nu rseries have access to techn ical

inform ation and resources prod uced by inst i tu t ion al nurser ies. They

prom ot e technical t ra in ing for the t arget com m unit y and catalyze group

nursery d evelopm ent .Group nu rseriesare estab l ished t o bu i ld techn ical and leadership

capacit ies of group m em bers and expand t he nu m ber of species and

qual i ty of germ plasm avai lable to group m em bers. They produ ce

appro xim ately 500 t o 10,000 seedlings. Nursery sizes m ay vary depe nd ing

on th eir locat ion . Sm al l group nurser ies m ay be operated b y as few as 2

to 3 neighbor in g households, w hi le th e bigger nu rser ies are operated by

group s specif ically organized fo r such responsibi l i t ies. Bot h m en and

w om en have ro les to p lay in group nurser ies, f rom decision-m aking

th rough w ork p lan imp lem entat ion . The sm al ler group nurser ies tend t ohave a lon ger l i fespan b ecause col labo ratio n is of ten based on

relatio nships of fam ily, fr ien ds and t rust. Larger group n urseries ten d to

7


18/64

sto p operat ing w hen ob ject ives are met or external supp ort is

te rminated.

Individu al nurseries are also kno w n as ho usehold n urseries or b ackyard

nu rseries and are general ly estab l ished an d m anaged by individu alfarm ers and/ or t heir fam il ies. These nurseries are usually init iated t o

pro duce seedlings for p lant ing on oper ator s' person al farm s. The ho use

com pou nd and farm land prov ide t he plant in g si tes. The s ize, product ion

capacity and level of sophisticat ion varies w idely; from a few seedlings

grow n in recycled po ts, to w el l -fenced nurser ies of a few hun dred seeds,

to a tho usand seedlings grow n in p olyet hylene bags. These nurseries m ay

distr ibut e seedl ings w i th in t he com m unit y and occasional ly cater to th e

need s of sm all-scale tree p lantin g projects. Alth ou gh of l im ited size,

indiv idual nurser ies of ten prod uce a broad var iety of species.

Research nu rseries

generate, develop , test

and val idate seedling

cul t ivat io n pro to cols.

Prot ot ype techno logies

and p ractices are also

tested. These nurseriesalso pro vide inno vative

ideas on im proving

nursery adm inistrat ion

and m anagem ent . The

key activ i t ies of t hese

nu rseries includ es:

imp rov ing the p lant ing

sto ck product ion

syst em , cost-effectiveness and en surin g sup erior germ plasm sou rces.

Addi t ional ly, th e research nurseriesof academ ic inst i t ut ions serve as

st ud ent trainin g faci l it ies on t he basics of n ursery establ ishm ent ,

operat ion s and m anagem ent. Graduate s tudent s and un iversi ty

researchers also u se t hese nurseries to cond uct exper im ent s.

Governm ent nurser iesprovide th e seedl ing requirem ents of nat ion al

reforestatio n and lo cal tre e plant ing program s. They m ay also serve as

sou rces of seeds and seedlings, and raise int erest in seedling pro du ctionam ong w ould-be sm al lholder n ursery operators. In turn , the personn el

of t en prov ide t ra in ing for sm al lholder o perators.

Objectives

8


19/64

Mo s t industr ial nurseriesprod uce seedl ings for t heir com panies' t ree

plantat ion operat ion s. Seedl ings m ay also b e for d istr ibut ion t o

com m unit y or farm er cont racto rs w ho establ ish addi t ion al p lantat ion

areas. Occasion ally, seedlings are dissem inated to com m un ities or

organizatio ns for corp orate pu blic relat ions purp oses. Commercial ly-or iented industr ia l nurser iesprodu ce seedl ings pr im ar i ly for m arket sale.

Project nur seriesare geared tow ards reforestat ion and com m unit y t ree

plant ing to suppo rt susta inable rural developm ent and l ive l ihood

enhancem ent. They also im plem ent t ra in ing act iv i t ies to s trengthen t he

technical and leadership sk il ls required b y com m unit ies to develop

nu rseries and t ree farm ing system s.

The pr im ary aim o f group nurser iesis to p rov ide m em bers w i th seedl ings

to expand t heir t ree farm ing system s. These nurseries also increase t hetechn ical and leadership ski l ls of

m embers and p rovide them w i th the

oppor t un i ty to earn supp lem enta l

incom e fro m seedling sales. Seedlings

m ay a lso be prov ided to com m uni ty

m em bers to en hance local

relation ships and social capit al.

Individu al nurseriesare general ly

establ ished t o m eet a fam i ly 's need fortr ee seedlings. They m ay also generat e

incom e t hro ugh seedling sales. Sim ilar

to group nu rseries, seedlings m ay be

prov ided to comm un i ty mem bers to

enh ance local relat ionships and social

capital.

Research nu rseriesusually have no

comm ercial o r ien ta t ion , though some

research insti t ut ions m ay sel l excess seedlings, particular ly o f in digenou s

t ree species.

Wh i le governm ent nu rser iesare not n orm ally m arket -or iented, som e do

sell seedlings to t he pu blic at a no m inal pr ice. In order t o sustain

prod uct ion, governm ent nurser ies are increasingly moving to w ards

com m ercial izatio n. How ever, seedlings are oft en sold in sm all , l im ited

quant i t ies, unl ike t he b ulk sel l ing done b y ot her n urser ies.Mo s t indu st r ial nurseriesare operated by large integrated w ood

ind ustr ies. They are com m ercial in size and scale of pro du ction . How ever,

Com m ercial Or ientat ion

9


20/64

seedl ing product ion is m eant t o sat isfy t he seedl ing requirem ents of t he

com panies' t ree plantat ion op erat ions and is usual ly not m arket-

or iented . Industr ia l nurser ies that prod uce seedl ings for com m ercia l sales

cater to large purchasers, but also f i l l sm all purchase requirem ent s. These

nurser ies norm al ly o ccupy m arket n iches. Careful pro ject ion s and m arketst ud ies are used to

determ ine the levels of

produc t ion requ i red fo r

prof i tabi l i ty .

Project nur seriesar e

rarely com m erc ia l ly-

or iented. Seedling

produc t ion is in tended t o

m eet t he needs o f ta rget

comm uni t ies, though

som etim es a nom inal fee

w i l l be charged t o ensure

seedlings are valued by

t he com m un ity. Excess

seedlings are sold t o

custo m ers out side target com m unit ies, w i th t he prof i t s prov id ing a

par t ia l cost recovery, thereby offsett ing t he cost of th e nursery operat ion.

Mo s t group nurser iesare not establ ished fo r com m ercia l purposes,

al thou gh t hey of ten sel l sm al l quant i t ies of seedl ings. How ever, som e

group nu rseries m ay be specif ically establ ished fo r com m ercial pu rpo ses,

par t icular ly in areas w here t here is a m arket dem and for seedl ings.

Al tho ugh establ ished to m eet fami ly n eeds, hou sehold nurser ies also sel l

seedlings in local m arkets. Even m ore t han grou p nu rseries som e

indiv idual nurser ies evolve tow ards market-or ientat ion . Som e indiv idual

nu rseries becom e exclusively com m ercial ent erpr ises and pro vide

signi f icant incom e t o ow ner-operator . This is par t icular ly t r ue in areasw ith a stro ng m arket dem and for t ree seedl ings. Netw orks of indiv idual

nurser ies may form to respond to these m arket oppor t un i t ies.

Resear ch n ur seriesoft en fo cus on developing standards of seedl ing

qu ali ty and evaluating species, provenan ces, variet ies and o t her

germp lasm . This is nor m al ly integrated int o t ree imp rovem ent o r seed

sou rce selection activ i t ies. The b est avai lable germ plasm is used to

supp ort th ese act iv i t ies.

Historically, research nurserieshave focused on a l im i ted num ber o f

species. Recent t rend s sho w an incl ination to pro du ce seedlings of varied

Qual i ty and Quant i t ies of Inpu t s and Prod ucts

10


21/64

tr ee species fro m diverse sou rces. St i l l , seedling pro du ction is no t a

pr ior i t y of research n urser ies; th e num ber o f seedl ings produ ced is

general ly only a few hu ndred t o a few t hou sand.

W hi le there are ef for t s in governm ent nur ser iesto use high qual i tygermplasm, research nurseriesand indu st r ial nurseriesemp loy far

sup erior practices. Seedling qu ali ty stan dards are also infer ior t o o th er

i ns t i tu t ional

nurseries. The u sual

practice is to focus on

seedling quantity,

rather t han qual i ty .

Industr ial nu rseries

v iew seedl ing qual i tyas of param oun t

importance. Rigid

qual i ty cont ro ls

ensure t he seedlings'

maximum surv ival

and excellent grow th

after p lant ing.

Industr ial nurseries

a lso a t tem pt tom axim ize the qual i ty

of pro du ction inpu t s. They h ave access to excellent seed sources and

faci li t ies for pro per seed pro cessing, handling and t est ing. Ind ustr ial

nurser ies produce large quant i t ies of seedl ings, f rom a hun dred th ousand

to a m i l l ion ann ual ly. The nu m ber of species prop agated m ay be l im i ted.

The organizatio ns m anaging pro ject nu rseriesdeterm ine th e species of

seed l ings produced, w i th input s f rom the ta rget com m uni ty and m arket

considerat ion s. In i t ia l ly, pro ject nurser ies may pro duce a l im i ted num ber

of species, for w hich germ plasm is easi ly avai lable and seedlings are

easi ly pro pagated. Species diversity expands as th e pr ior i t ies of

com m uni ty m emb ers becom e know n and the sk i ll s o f nursery sta f f

increase. Tim ber, f ru i t or m ul t i -purp ose trees may be p r ior i t y species,

w i th t he quant i ty o f seed l ing produc t ion varying betw een 10,000 and

100,000. Project nu rseries usually pro du ce goo d q uali t y seedlings. They

oft en have access to, and th e abi l i ty to buy q ual i ty germ plasm . How ever,

germp lasm m ay be col lected fro m local seed sources to encourage

comm uni ty par t ic ipa t ion and incom e generat ion .

To establ ish credib i l i ty, high q uali t y m aterials m ay be used in group

nurseries, par t icular ly tho se supp ort ed b y projects or N GOs. Group

11


22/64

m em bers aim to prod uce high qual i ty seedl ings, especial ly i f these w i l l be

p lanted on the i r ow n farms. Group nurser ies m ay produce f rom 100 to

10,000 seedlings, w ith gro up m em bers selecting th e species pro pagated .

Supp ort inst i t ut ions are a lso involved w i th inp ut and faci l i ta t ion. I f the

group n ursery is self-sup po rt ing, the germ plasm used is l ikely to b elargely local ly col lected . The quali ty o f local seed can be guaranteed and

enhanced by fo l low ing appropr iate seed col lect ion guidel ines.

The species prop agated in individual nurseriesare selected exclusively by

operators, but m ay be severely l imi t ed by germ plasm avai labi l ity and th e

operators ' know ledge and sk i l ls. The germ plasm is of t en col lected in t he

local area and m ot her t ree selection is based on ease of access, not

qual i ty o r s tandard germ plasm col lect ion guidel ines. Annual seedl ing

produ ct ion is com m only 100 t o 1,000 but m ay be as l i t t le as 50 or less. In

com m ercia lly-or ient ed ind iv idual nurser ies, annual pro duct ion capacitym ay be as high as 10,000 t o 50,000 seedlings. As com m ercial ent erpr ises

w ith rep utat ions to uph old, tho se nurser ies are mo re l ike ly to use quali ty

germ plasm and o t her m ater ia ls

Inst i tut ional research nurseriesusual ly have adequate equ ipm ent and

instr um entat ion for t he sc ient i f ic exam inat ion o f p lant ing sto cks.

Research laborator ies are of ten u sed to com pl im ent t h is w ork, th rough a

m ore accurate assessm ent of seedl ing per form ance. Depending on t heavailable bud get, research nurseries can b e sop hist icated - w ith

autom atic spr ink lers, environm ent m oni t or ing sensors, w el l -paved b eds,

and ret ractable shades - or t here m ay be a sim ple area w here t he

m inim um faci li t ies of a research nursery are present , includin g seed bed s,

w aterin g system , shade.

Technology

12


23/64

Governm ent nurser iesgeneral ly fo l low convent io nal seedl ing produ ct ion

m eth ods. Due t o f inancia l and adm inistrat ive constra ints , these nurser ies

are of ten un able to adopt or m axim ize the use of new er technologies.

Industr ia l nurserieshave easy access to and u se th e m ost curren t or

appro priat e techn ologies. They develop species-specif ic prot ocols for

cost ef fective seedling pro du ction . The pr ocess of t echno logical

developm ent, ref inem ent and adopt ion occurs m ore rapid ly in industr ia l

nurser ies th an ot her nu rsery types, w i th th e possib le except ion o f

research n urseries. In m ost cases, indu st r ial nu rseries can serve t o

sho w case te chnolo gies.

The level and t ypes of technologies em ployed in pro ject nu rseriesis less

advanced th an th at used by inst i t ut ional nurser ies, yet above that of

group o r individ ual nurseries. This enables project n urseries to eff ic ient lyprod uce qual i ty seedl ings and pro v ide a learning environm ent for

com m un i ty mem bers.

A m ixture of ind igenou s and adopt ed techno logies is em ployed in group

nurseries(developed by inst i t ut ional or project n urser ies) . Nurser ies w i th

external supp ort tend t o use m ore adopt ed technologies. Due to l im i ted

resources ho w ever, m any group n urseries develop cost -effective, sm all-

scale t echnical inno vation s. Available m aterials, such as plast ic cups and

bags, are com m on ly recycled.

Individual nurseriesusual ly emp loy sim ple and o ften substandard

techn olo gies as op erator s general ly have m eager resou rces. Alongside

th is, indiv idual nurser ies of t en suffer f rom inadequate infrastr ucture and

fencing and lo w levels of inpu t s (containers, fert i l izer, com po st , etc.).

Excessive shadin g and access to w ater m ay pose a furt her p rob lem .

M any indiv idual nurser ies m ay have insuff ic ient w ater supp ly or m ay

depend on ra in fo r m ost o f th e i r water needs.

Research nu rseriesare m anned by researchers and supp ort staff. The

organization usually has a hierarchy of aut ho rit y and is highly cent ral ized,

w i th th e research leader d i rect ing th e program s and nu rsery act iv i t ies.

The nursery is m anaged and adm inister ed by q uali f ied t echnical staff. A

str ict m on ito r ing system is used to regular ly evaluate staff, includin g a

per iodical assessm ent of th eir seedl ing per form ance. Docum entat ion is

m eticulous and standardized.

Governm ent nurser ieshave a sim pler o rganizat ional str ucture and few er

staf f t han o th er inst i tut ional nurser ies. Unski l led o r semi-sk i l led w orkersare h i red to m eet labor needs for seedl ing prod uct ion. Docum entat ion is

usual ly l imi t ed to w hat is required by governm ent account ing and

Management

13


24/64

audi t ing procedures, w hich are general ly not u seful for m oni t or ing or

im proving nursery operat ions.

Industr ial nu rserieshave com plex organizatio nal str uctu res. Nur sery

personn el have clearly defined ro les and responsibi l i t ies, w ith w ell-establ ished l ines of auth or i t y and com m unicat io n. Al l nursery operat ion s

are under s tr ic t superv ision t o ensure seedl ing product ion m eets qual ity

specif icat ions. Nur sery w or kers receive guidance from w ell- trained

technical personn el . Data m anagem ent system s m oni t or inp ut s and

ou t put s, especial ly seedling invent or ies.

Project nur seriesare m anaged by staf f exper ienced in t ree prop agat ion

and n ursery pract ices. Standard m anagem ent pract ices and w ork

schedu les exist for nu rsery o perat ions. These practices and sched ules are

used to t ra in com m uni ty m emb ers to operate group and ind iv idua lnurseries.

Wi th in group nurser iesm em bers def ine w ork responsib i l i t ies. A group

leader and a n ursery m anager are usually chosen, and o th er po si t ions,

such as a treasurer, m ay be ident i f ied. M em bers agree upon w ork

schedu les and share labor. Frequ ent ly, a sub -group o f m em bers are the

pr im ary m overs of th e nu rsery. In large group nurser ies, w ork schedules

can be di f f icu l t t o im plem ent d ur ing fest ivals and intensive farm ing

perio ds. Nu rsery op eratio ns are

general ly do cum ent ed, especial ly in

project-supp ort ed nurser ies.

Fam il ies alm ost exclusively m anage

individual nurseries, w i th a ll mem bers

contr ibu t ing. How ever, nursery

establ ishm ent and m anagem ent are

constra ined b y a lack of fami ly labor and

resou rces. Resource-saving st rate gies

used t o m anage indiv idual nurser iesinclude: pro du cing seedling con tainers

fro m local mat erials, recycl ing plast ic

seedling cont ainers and pr od ucing bare-

roo t seedlings. M any large commercial -

or iented indiv idual nurser iesemp loy

w orkers to h elp wi t h nursery operat ion s.

Given t he resou rces and available staff, research nurseriesare able tocond uct a w ide variety o f scient i f ic st ud ies. Con sequ ent ly, these nurseries

generate substan t ial research result s and in no vation s.

Research/ Innovat io ns

14


25/64

Governm ent nurser iesare not intend ed fo r research pur poses. How ever,

th ese nurser ies can t est and adop t technological innovat ions, wi t h t he

focus com m only on eff icient and sim ple m ass seedl ing product ion .

Industr ial nu rseriescan be excellent ven ues for d evelopin g and ref iningtechn olo gies used in seedling prod uctio n. They have the faci l i t ies, staff

capabil i t ies and f inancial resou rces for research. Techno logies m ay be

rapid ly developed b y

industr ial nurseries

and becom e par t o f

stan dard seedling

produc t ion pro t oco ls

for indu str ia l t ree

species. Industrial

nu rseries of ten ad just

th ese stan dard

prot ocols based o n

species performance

in plantat ion sites.

How ever, the

technologies

developed by

industr ial nurseries

m ay not be f ree ly

shared.

Project nur seriesm ay develop innovat ions for ef fect ive and cost-ef f ic ient

seed l ing produc t ion and nursery operat ions a t t he pro ject o r com m uni ty

level, th ou gh t hey seldo m condu ct scient i f ic research, except in cases

w here t he pro ject inc ludes a research com pon ent or fo cus. These

innovat ions hinge upon exper iences gained from dai ly operat ions rath er

th an on system atic research. Project n urseries m ay also pro vide t he

im pet us for t echnical inno vat io ns to be developed in group o r indiv idualnurseries.

Group nu rseriesconduct t heir ow n dem onstrat ions and tr ia ls, and m ay

also t ry to develop propagat ion techniques for d i f f icu l t - to-prop agate

species; part icular ly indigenous species. As w ith pro ject nu rseries, t he

focus of inn ovatio ns is on effect ive and cost -eff ic ient op eratio ns.

Sim ilar to pr oject and group n urseries, ind ividual nu rseries condu ct

sim ple research t o d evelop technical innovat ions appropr iate t o t heir

op erating con dit ions. Those activ i t ies m ay include testing variou s

seedling cont ainers, nursery m edia, organic pestic ides, or ot herindigenous technologies.

15


26/64

Capaci ty Bui ld ing and M anagem ent o f Governm entThe sup erior faci li t ies and highly-qu ali f ied techn ical staff m ake research

nurseriesexcellent t raining ground s for in dividu als in techn ical

special ization s and m anagers of govern m ent and ind ustr ial nurseries.How ever, sm al l-scale nursery o perators seldom benef i t f rom tra in ings

held in research n urseries. There are som e aspect s of research nu rseries

th at m ay benef i t sm al lholder n ursery operators, inc luding indigenous

nursery technologies adapted fro m ot her regions or im proved versions.

Governm ent nurser iesar e

large and r eadily accessible,

m aking them good venues

for t ra in ing and f ie ld v isi ts

by n ursery op erators andot her interested groups.

The staf f in governm ent

nu rseries of ten act as

tra iners, and com m only are

accom m odat ing and w i ll ing

t o assist .

Excellent inf rast ruct ures

and faci l it ies -complem ented by w e l l-

t rained t echnical staff -

ensure t hat industr ia l

nurseriesare out stan ding t raining venues for b asic and advanced nu rsery

prop agat ion t echniques. Al thou gh th e intensive seedl ing product ion

system s used in industr ia l nurser ies are not appropr iate for m ost sm al l-

scale nursery operat ors, t hese ind ividuals m ay sti l l ben efi t f rom field

visits to indu st r ial nu rseries.

Project nur seriesare ideal venues for t he form al and info rm al t ra in ing ofcom m unit y m em bers, undert aken by professional nursery staf f and

faci l itat ed b y staff of sup po rt ing organization s. Technical special ist s from

insti t ut ion al nu rseries m ay be included am on g t he staff. Training act iv i t ies

run by pro ject nurser ies are ef fect ive because th ey inc lude en ough t im e

for com m uni ty m emb ers to share the i r know ledge and exper ience and

ask question s. Period ic f ield visits to p roject nu rseries after for m al

tra in ing are useful in supp lem ent in g the t echnical know ledge of

comm uni ty m emb ers w ho operate local nurser ies.

Group nu rseriescan be u sed for t ra in ing m em bers and external groups.Training usually includes extern al sup po rt and covers environ m ent al

aw areness and edu cat ion, agrofo rest ry, and organizatio nal m anagem ent .

16


27/64

Because th e operat ors of group n urseries are farm ers, they are

frequent ly able to del iver very pract ical and effect ive tra in ing to o th er

farm ers. Prov id ing farmer-op erators w i th t ra in ing of t ra iners (TOT)

courses help s bui ld t heir capacity as farm er n ursery special ist s.

Due to th eir l im ited size and faci li t ies, individual nurseriesare general ly

not used for fo rm al t ra in ing. How ever, they can pro v ide effect ive farm er-

to - farm er t ra in ing act iv i t ies. These tra in ings are inform al and p rov ide

farm er nursery operato rs and farm ers am ple oppo rt uni t ies to exchange

ideas and exper iences. Discussion s are usually focu sed o n very p racti cal

and effect ive to pics, procedu res, and t echno logies. Extension agent s and

techn icians can also learn abou t sm all-scale nu rsery t echno logies by

visiting successful individual nurseries.

Resear ch n ur seriesgenerate a weal th of in fo rm ation used in developing

extension m aterials for large-scale tr ee nu rseries and sm allholder nu rsery

op erator s. They also establ ish relation ships w ith ot her n urseries for

inform ation d issem inat ion and germp lasm exchange. Having l it t le or no

com m ercial em ph asis, research nurseries earn no m easurable incom e for

th eir services.

The staff of governm ent nu rser iesof ten serve as extension agent s for

tree pro pagat ion, nursery operat ions and po st-p lant ing management .These services are usually rend ered in t he nu rsery and som et im es

th rough f ie ld v isi ts to local nursery operato rs or farm ers. Governm ent

nurser ies a lso m ake th e germp lasm of n ew species w r i t t en m ater ia l

avai lable to local comm unit ies.

Industr ia l nurseriesdo n ot nor m al ly conduct exten sion serv ices.

How ever, they m ay prov ide som e serv ices to local com m unit ies, including

project o r group nurser ies -

par t icu lar ly to tho se w hoserve as cont ract t ree

grow ers. These exten sion

services are u sually l im ited

to t ree propagat ion and

nursery m anagem ent , bu t

m ay also include p ost-

p lant ing management .

Mo s t pro ject nu rseries

pro vide extension servicesto comm un i ty members,

par t icular ly operators of

group and indiv idual

Exten sion and Ot her Services

17


28/64

nu rseries. These services focus on t ree pr op agatio n and nur sery

m anagem ent. In m any areas w here governm ent exten sion serv ices are

inadequate, project nurser ies may be t he o nly re l iable source of technical

inform ation. There is an em erging trend in t ro pical coun tr ies for no n-

governm ent sou rces to pro vide extension services on species selection ,tree m anagem ent and prod uct m arket ing. Prov ision of th ese exten sion

serv ices w i l l cont inu e to b e an imp ort ant ro le for p roject nurser ies.

Group nu rserym em bers of ten prov ide t echnical assistance to farm ers

w ith in and o ut side t heir com m unit y. This assistance focuses on n ursery

and t ree m anagem ent . Successfu l grou p nu rseries develop rep ut ation s as

techn ical service provid ers and are freq uent ly visited by NGOs and

pro ject group s. Som e group n urseries becom e local sup pliers of t ree

germplasm.

Operators of individual nurseriescan be effect ive farm er- to- farm er

exten sion agent s (farm er special ist s). Their nurseries and farm s m ay

serve as exam ples for small-scale farm ers. As m ent ioned above, being

peers they are easi ly understo od by o th er farm ers, th us fac il i ta t ing

inform ation exchange. M any indiv idual nurser ies are sources of t ree

seedl ings and m ay broaden th e species var iety and inform ation avai lable

to local resident s and visito rs.

Fund ing for research nurseriesusual ly com es from inst i t ut ions to w hich

t he nu rsery belo ngs. Som e research nurseries receive extern al fund ing to

strength en t heir op erat io ns. Others, par t icular ly th ose w i th fo re ign

assistan ce, receive large equ ipm ent o ut lay and m aterial sup po rt

alongside techn ical assistan ce fro m hired consultant s. Research nu rseries

rarely con du ct self- f inancing act iv i t ies.

Governm ent nurseryoperat ions depend on governm ent b udget

al locat ions. Fiscal po l ic ies usually l im it access to cash d on ation s and/ or

contr ibu t io ns from pr ivate organizat ions and ind iv iduals. How ever,inform al cash do nat ion s or in-k ind don at ions are som etim es prov ided

from th ese sources.

Industr ia l nurserieshave stro ng int ernal f inancial support , inc luding

access to credit and o th er f un ding sources. These nu rseries are also in a

posi t ion t o u se l inks w i th th e sc ient i f ic com m unit y to gain access to

recent technologies on p lant ing sto ck product ion .

Donor p roject suppo rt en sures seedl ing prod uct ion d ur ing the l i fe of th e

project or program. Due to th is depend ency, pro ject nu rseriesoperateund er speci f ic t im e per iods and/ or un cer ta in cond i t ions. There are tw o

st ra tegies to dea l w i th th is uncer ta in ty : p romo t ing t he deve lopm ent o f

group and indiv idual nurser ies; and t ransform ing th e project n urser ies

Extern al / Internal Sup po rt

18


29/64

in to com m ercial

operat ion s (of ten

referred t o as nursery

privatizat ion). The

successfult ransform at ion o f

project nurser ies into

commerc ia l operat ions

usually requ ires t he

rep lacem ent o f

salar ied n ursery staff

w i th local residents

po ssessing tech nical

and entrepreneur ia lskills.

Group nursery m em bers are expected to support one anot her in their

nu rseries and t his may com e in various form s, such as labor, mat erials,

techn olo gies and f in ancial cont r ibu t ions. M any grou p nu rseries access

f inancial , technical and m ater ia l supp ort f rom projects and inst i tu t ion s.

Addi t ional ly, som e group nurser ies earn incom e fro m seedl ing sales or by

pro viding technical services t o group s or ind ividuals. Once exter nal

sup po rt ceases, grou p nu rseries are oft en p r ivatized by a sub -group o f

the m em bers w ho are w i l ling to cont inue operat ing w i t h the i r ow n

resources.

Individual nurserieslargely depen d on f am ily resou rces. How ever,

projects and inst i tut ions m ay prov ide t echnical and m ater ia l assistance to

op erator s, part icular ly dur ing nu rsery establ ishm ent . This assistan ce

usual ly focuses on prov id ing good q ual i ty germ plasm and t ra in ing on t ree

propagat ion and nu rsery management . Com m ercial -or iented indiv idual

nurseriesevolve as self- fu nd ed t hro ugh seedling sales and t he pro vision

of techn ical services.

The advant ages of research nurseriesare:-assured annual bu dgetary supp ort ;-good venues for t he dem onstrat ion of new technologies;-effect ive t ra in ing of technical staf f f rom ot her inst i tu t ion al nurser ies;

an d-prod uct ion of technical bul let ins and sc ient i f ic pu bl icat ions.

The lim i tat ions of research nurseriesare:-carefu l ly con t rol led cond it io ns and sop histicated f acil i t ies do n ot

Advant ages and Lim itat ions

19


30/64

sim ulate real wor ld si tuat ions, th us lim i t ing t he appl icabi l ity o f

lessons learned;-highly depend ent on inst i tu t io nal budgetary a l locat io n;-huge in i t ia l capi ta l and equ ipm ent o ut lay; and

-farm er-or iented research is rarely conducted.

The advantages of governm ent nu rser iesare:-fun ds, th ough l im i ted, are of ten assured from governm ent

al locat ion s, th us, sustaining nu rsery op eratio ns;-l inks are wel l -establ ished t hrou gh local governm ent net w ork ing

mechanisms;-t ree seedlings are readily avai lable from t hese nurseries; and-th ere is a h igh potent ia l to expand th e num ber o f species avai lable to

communi t ies .

The l im i tat ions of governm ent nurser iesare:-delays in t he re lease of fun ds and ot her b ureaucrat ic procedures

m ay ham per nursery operat ion s;-l imi t ed n um ber o f species produ ced ( in som e cases) ;-l imi t ed capabi l i ty to respond t o com m unit ies' speci f ic needs or

species pr ior i t ies; and-ta rget -or ien ted produ c t ion m ay m ean the w aste o f a large num ber o f

seedlings.

Besides t ho se l isted for o t her inst i t ut ional n urser ies, addi t ion al benef i t s

of in du st r ial nurseries are:-assured bu dget an d clear object ives;-excellent access to qu ali ty germ plasm ;-em phasis on p rodu ct ion o f qu al ity p lant ing sto cks;-opp ort uni t ies to t est and apply new seedl ing produ ct ion

technologies;

-large scale produ ctionjust if ies

m echanizat ion and

other investments;

and-large produ ct ion rates

m ake i t possib le to

a t ta in t he econom y o f

scale in p roduct ion,

lead ing to low un i tprodu ct ion cost for

seedlings.

20


31/64

Som e l im i tat ions of indu st r ial nurseriesare:-huge in i t ia l capi ta l investm ent is required;-high level o f t echnical ski l ls are of ten necessary;-num ber o f species prod uced is usual ly l im i ted; and

-large scale prod uctio n requ ires large land area for t he nu rsery andplantat ions.

Advant ages of pro ject nu rseriesare:-exter nal suppo rt assures seedl ing produ ct ion dur ing th e l i fespan o f

the pro jec t / p rogram;-enh ance technical ski l ls and capacity of t arget com m un ities;-pro vide access to a broad range of tre e species and h igh quali t y

germplasm;

-provide im petu s for inn ovat ions by group and indiv idual nurser ies;an d-enhance social capi ta l by prom ot ing act ive com m unit y par t ic ipat io n.

Lim itat ions of pro ject nu rseriesare:-depend ency on exter nal supp ort , make project n urser ies

un sustainable; and-part ic ipatory approaches require addi t ion al resources (t im e, staf f

and e f fo r t ) .

The advantages of group nurser iesare:-increased access to a greater nu m ber o f t ree species and b ett er

qual i ty germ plasm ;-social capi ta l form at ion, team / inst i t ut ion bu i ld ing and leadership

deve lopment ;-effective del ivery o f t raining and t echnical services; and-effect ive m echanism for

germp lasm dispersion.

The l im i tat ions of group

nurseriesare:-di f f icu l t ies in coordinat ing

nursery operat ions and

labor i npu t w i th in the

group;-far d istance betw een

nursery si tes and t he hom es

of group m em bers; and-inab il ity t o respond to the

specif ic need s of al l

members .

21


32/64

The advant ages of individual nurseriesare:-independ ent decision-m aking in a l l aspects of nu rsery m anagem ent;-incom e generat io n from seedl ing sales;

-prod uce technical inno vat ion s that are appropr iate for sm al l-scaleoperat ing condi t ions; and-appropr iate venue for farm er- to- farm er tra in ing and extension.

The lim i tat ions of individual nurseriesare:-seedl ing qual ity m ay be poor d ue t o op erators' l imi t ed resources and

knowledge;-po or access to assistance fr om research, technical and develo pm ent

agencies; and-

w ork ing alone resul ts in l im i ted access to n ew ideas.

22


33/64

Cha pt er 3

NURSERY PLANNIN G AND BEST

PRACTICES

Qual i ty seedl ing product ion depend s on a sound u nderstanding and

im plem entat ion of t he key pr inc ip les of nu rsery p lanning and

m anagem ent . Al l of t he nu rsery t ypes descr ibed in t h is sourcebook can

and should pro du ce quali ty seedlings. This chapte r br iefly describes

nursery p lanning and best p ract ices for operators, to ensure t he

pro du ction of qu ali ty seedlings. The d iscussion em ph asizes plann ing andm anagem ent pract ices as appropr iate fo r project, group and indiv idual

nurseries.

23


34/64

Nu rsery Plann ing

Sit e Select io n

Objectives

Dem an d Forecast ing

As w i th th e operat ion of any enterpr ise, p lanning is essent ia l for a

successfu l and p rod uct ive nursery. Factors to b e taken int o accou nt are:

ef f ic ient use of input s and resources, ident i fy ing problem s and po tent ia lsolut ions, m oni t or ing pro gress, and w ork ing t ow ards nursery object ives.

Nursery p lans vary in det ai l and in how th ey are im plem ented. Nursery

p lans m ay be form al wr i t ten docum ents or a li st o f in form al managem ent

guidel ines. Research an d in dustr ial nur seriessho uld have detai led

w r i t ten p lans. Governm ent a nd p roject nurser iestend to have formal

w r i t ten p lans w hereas group nurser iesm ay have in formal w r i t ten

docum ent s of o nly a few pages. Individual nurserieshave very inform al

p lann ing, most o f t en w i thout any wr i t t en docum enta t ion . General ly,

project and group n urser ies engage in par t ic ipatory p lanning, w ork ingw ith s takeholders and m em bers. Recomm ended elem ents of a nursery

plan includ e: site select ion, ob jectives, dem and fo recast ing ( includin g

species and source of germ plasm ), inpu t s and sched uling, cont ingencies,

docum enta t ion , sta f f t ra in ing , p rom ot ion and m arket ing , and netw ork ing.

Factors to consider w hen selecting a n ursery site include: i) access to

plant ing sites and m arkets; i i ) access to w ater and goo d soi l m edium ; i ii )

f la t or sl ight ly sloping to pography w i th goo d drainage and exposure t o

sun light; iv) secure fro m anim als and n atu ral calamit ies such as f loo ding,landsl ides and stron g win ds; v) proxim ity t o labor supp ly; and vi) secure

land statu s.

As discussed in t he pr evious chapt er, the o bject ives of p roject , grou p and

indiv idual nurser ies general ly focus on: i ) seedl ing prod uct ion to m eet

local t ree plant ing or m arket needs; ii ) local land rehabi l i ta t ion; i i i )

incom e generat ion ; and iv) technical and leadership capacity bui ld ing.

Plans usually specify t arget species, th e int end ed u se of t ho se species(local use, sales, et c), and t he

num ber of seedl ings to b e produ ced

by e ach species.

Target seedling pro du ction levels are

est im ated by forecast ing po tent ia l

dem and. Dem and forecasts are

based o n t he p rev ious exper iencesof n ursery operat ors and staff,

considerat ion s of avai lable t im e and

resou rces, and info rm atio n available

24


35/64

f rom th e m arket and ot her sources. Key inform ation m ay be obt ained

fro m seedling users: farm ers, NGOs, govern m ent agencies, project s,

seedling dealers, com m ercial nurseries and corp orate farm s. Dem and

forecasts shou ld speci fy t he int ended prod uct ion of each t arget species

and sources of germ plasm for each species.

Al l nursery act iv i t ies and t heir required inpu ts m ust b e proper ly

scheduled to ensure prod uct ion targets and ob ject ives are m et. Input s to

be considered inc lude: germ plasm , seedl ing cont ainers, to ols, equipm ent,

w ater, soi l , fert i l izers, nur sery faci l i t ies, labo r, tran spo rt atio n an d capit al.

Al l input s m ust be m ade available in a t im ely m anner. This is especial ly

im por tant in areas w i th a shor t p lant ing season. Act iv i t ies w hich are

crit ical to successful nu rsery op eratio ns and seedling prod uctio n should

be pr ior i t ized. For m arket-or ient ed produ ct ion, th is w ould involve th e

prio r i t ization of custo m er and m arket l inkages. This top ic is discussed

below.

Unexpected p roblem s or o ppo rt uni t ies m ay signi f icant ly af fect nursery

plans. Hence, nurseries m ust have cont ingency plans to r espo nd t o t hese

possib i l it ies. For exam ple, nursery operators shou ld kno w w here t o

obt ain qual i ty seed sto cks on shor t not ice and shou ld m ainta in

relat ion ships wi t h seed dealers and ot her n urser ies for t hat purp ose.

Nursery prod uct ion t echnologies and inno vat ion s cont inue t o evolve.

Enh ancing th e ski l ls of nu rsery op erato rs and staff ( includin g day

laborers) to use these innovat ions is benef icia l to nursery produ ct iv i ty

and eff ic iency. Project , g roup and indiv idual n urser iessho uld avai l

t ra in ing oppor t un i t ies w hen o f fe red by inst i t ut ional n urser ieswhere

m ost technolo gy developm ents occur. Al ternat ively, pro ject nu rseries

condu ct t raining specif ical ly for group a nd indiv idual nur seryoperators.

Par t ic ipants shou ld share th eir new know ledge w i th col leagues, v isi t ingfarm ers, and o t her stakeholders. This pro cess m axim izes t he distr ibu t ion

of n ew nursery technologies.

In any type o f nu rsery, records sho uld b e m ade of standard p ractices,

inp ut s, innovatio ns developed, t raining condu cted, sales, visito rs,

observat ions and o ther not ewor t hy item s. Docum enta t ion he lps

operators, researchers and ot her stakeholders in p lanning, m oni t or ing,

and decision-m aking for im proved nursery operat ion s. A speci f ic personshou ld be chosen for d ocum entat ion respon sib i l i t ies. Wh en t he nursery

has been establ ished, th ere shou ld be a decision o n w hat m etho ds, too ls

Inpu t s an d Schedu ling

Contingencies

St af f Trai nin g

Documentat ion

25


36/64

and records wi l l be kept . External faci l ita to rs from supp ort organizat ions

m ay assist project and group nurser iesin docum enta t ion and record

analysis.

An im port ant facto r in a nursery 's success is ef fect ive prom ot ions and

m arketin g. Prod uct pro m ot ion (seedlings) and services (trainin g,

consultancy) can be accom plished th rou gh various m edia (radio, local

new spapers, bul letin s, brochure s, agricultu ral fairs and o th er event s) and

int erper son al chann els. These opt ions sho uld b e selected o n t he bases of

th e target aud iences and con sum ers. Nurseries, especial ly t ho se w ith

tra in ing and com m ercia l a ims, shou ld invest in prom ot ions and

market ing.

Individu al and grou p nu rseries can for m

net w orks to gain access to large and

com peti t ive markets. Netw orks are an effect ive

m eans of exchanging inform ation o n seedl ing

dem and and avai labi l ity ; d issem inate

inform ation regarding new technologies and

innovat ions, and prom ot e standardizat ion o f

practices and p rod ucts. To sustain n et w ork

op eratio ns, ben efit s and respo nsibi l i t ies m ustbe equ i tab ly d ist r ibu t ed betw een m em bers.

Experien ce in th e Phil ipp ines dem on st rates t hat

al thou gh nurser ies m ay be com peti t ors,

fo rm ing a networ k and shar ing in format ion

faci l i tate t he operat ion of m arket channels and

leads to w in-win s i tuat ion s.

The best n ursery practices include seed qu ali tyand m anagem ent; seedl ing prod uct ion and

m aintenance; and ot her seedl ing produ ct ion

m eth ods. Detai led inform ation regarding tree

seed technology is prov ided in M ulawarm an et

al. (2003) and t here are det ai led descript ions of

best nu rsery practices in Jaenicke (1999), Wight m an (1999) and Lon gm an

(2002).

Quali t y seed is one of th e key facto rs in pro du cing quali ty t rees. Seed can

be col lected o r pu rchased, and shou ld or ig inate from super ior and

pro ven source seed stands, seed p rod uct ion areas and seed o rchards.

Prom ot ion and M arket ing

Ne twork ing

Best Pract ices

Seed Qual i ty a nd M anagem ent

26


37/64

Forestry pro fessionals, seed techn olo gist s and experienced farm ers can

assist w ith ident i fy ing appr op riate seed sou rces or seed sup pliers.

Seed col lection o perat ion s sho uld fol lo w techn ical ly sou nd guid el ines.

Only m ature heal thy seed shou ld be col lected. M ature seed has aun ifo rm colo r, lacks ph ysical defect s and disease. Ideally, seed is collect ed

from at least 30 h eal thy and

vigorously grow ing m ot her

tr ees spaced at least 50

m eters apar t . I f t h is is not

po ssible, seed shou ld b e

col lected from as m any trees

as possib le and f rom di f ferent

par ts of t he crow n. Seed

shou ld not be col lected from

isolated , branchy and st un ted

trees.

Once col lected, al l seed

shou ld be t ranspor ted to the

nu rsery as soon as po ssible .

Orth odox seed shou ld be pre-dr ied to reduce seed m oistu re cont ent and

avoid heat bu i ld-up associated w ith r espirat ion. To faci li tat e pre-dryin g,

seed shou ld be sto red in bu r lap sacks or o th er containers th at perm it a i rcirculatio n. Plast ic bags sho uld no t be u sed as th ey rest r ict air f low. Pre-

dry ing can b e conducted in t he f ie ld. Recalci t rant seeds must ret a in h igh-

m oisture content and m ust no t be dr ied .

Prom pt seed pro cessing is required for bot h o r t hod ox and recalci t rant

seed, to m aintain q uali t y and m ake clean seeds available. For large

qu ant it ies of seeds, testing is necessary to d eter m ine viabi l i ty and

correct ly ident i fy seed qu ant i t ies for sow ing. Wh ere seed storage is

necessary, appro pr iate condi t ions mu st be used. M ulawarm an et a l .

(2003) p rovid es detai ls regarding seed p rocessing and sto rage.

Each seed lot shou ld be labeled wi t h t he fo l low ing inform ation: species

nam e, date of col lect ion , locat ion of seed source, num ber of m ot her

trees and n am e of col lecto r. This inform ation should a lso be recorded in

a separa te docum ent stored in th e o f f ice . Docum ent ing the in form at ion

ensures th at good seed sources are ident i f ied fo r repeat ed use and

col lectors are shar ing t heir kn ow ledge and exper ience.

Besides th e use of qu al ity seed, proper n ursery prod uct ion and

m ainten ance activ i t ies are essent ial to m ult iply quali t y seedlings.

Seedl ing product ion and m aintenance include t he fo l low ing: seed pre-

Seedl ing Produ ct ion and M aint enance

27


38/64

t rea tm ent and sow ing; so i l m anagem ent ; shade and w ater m anagem ent ;

pr icking; roo t p ru ning; pests and disease cont rol; harden ing; seedling

grading and handl ing.

Or thodox seed shou ld b e pre- t reated t o prom ote rap id and un i fo rmgerm inat ion and growt h . Pre-t reatm ents mim ic the natura l seed

germinat ion p rocess. Com m on and pract ical pre- treatm ents vary

accord ing to species and in clude: soaking in t ap w ater, soaking in h ot

w ater, and scarif icatio n. Once pre-treat ed, seed should b e sow n

im m ediately. Seed is usually sow n at a dep t h equ al to i t s average

diam eter and l ight ly covered w i th sand o r n ursery soi l . Desirable nursery

soi ls are w ell-drained, fert i le, free o f p ests and diseases, and h ave a l ight

texture. They are usual ly made by m ix ing appropr iate p or t ions of forest

soi ls, sand and com post. Germ inat ion and n ursery m edia m ay also

requ ire ster i l ization for seriou s cases of soi l-bor ne pat ho genic infectio n.

Seedl ings th at germ inate in seed beds or boxes m ust be t ransplanted to

seedl ing cont ainers w hen t hey are approxim ately 5 cm in height and have

a pair of t rue leaves. This pro cess is called pr icking (or pr icking ou t ) and

m ust b e conducted carefu l ly to prevent desiccat ion and dam age to t he

youn g seedlings' del icate roo t s. Roo t s sho uld b e po sit io ned in contain ers,

so t hat s tra ight h ealthy ro ot system s can form . Careful root m anagem ent

is requ ired at al l stages of seedling developm ent . Roo t s sho uld n ot be

al low ed to grow out side th e cont ainer. Wh en th is occurs, the root sshou ld be pruned.

Shade and w ater m anagem ent should b e carefu l ly cont ro l led to

encourage quick germ inat ion and v igorous grow th of heal thy seedl ings.

Seedling cont ainers and nu rsery

beds shou ld be w atered once to

t w ice a day, based o n soi l and

w eather condi t io ns. Germinant s

and you ng seedlings requ ire

shad ing to pro t ect t hem f rom h ightem peratures and desiccat ion.

W ater ing and shading are

gradually red uced as seedlings

develop , gain size and b ecom e

st ur die r. This pro cess, called

harde ning, pre pares seedlings for

th e adverse condi t ions (fu l l

sun l ight and m oisture stress) of

plant ing sites.

Nurser ies are m anaged in o rder t o

avoid pests and disease t hro ugh

28


39/64

prop er hygiene and cul tura l m anagem ent. This inc ludes proper

vent i la t ion, prevent ion of w ater logging, keeping tools and equ ipm ent

clean and pro per d ispo sal of n ursery w aste, especial ly infected seedlings.

Specialists sho uld b e consult ed in cases of serio us pest or d isease.

Seedl ings shou ld be handled w i th care th roughou t a l l stages of

developm ent, so as not to d istu rb t he soi l and dam age th e root s. They

shou ld no t be carr ied by t he stem s or leaves, rath er held carefu l ly in a

container. The use of b oxes and crates is recom m ended w hen m oving or

t ransport ing large nu m bers of seedlings. Regular grading and cul l ing

sho uld b e cond ucted . Experien ce indicates 15% to 2 0% of seedlings are

deform ed, sick ly or ot herw ise of poo r q ual i ty. Such seedl ings shou ld a l l be

discarded.

As discussed ab ove, seed is used t o p rop agate seedlings of m ost t ree

species. M ost nurser ies prefer t h is seedl ing product ion m eth od. For

various reason s, suff ic ient q uant it ies of viable seed are not always readily

available, m aking seed-based nursery pro pagation d iff icult o r im po ssible.

Under such c i rcum stances, other pro duct ion m eth ods are warranted,

inc luding: w i ld l ings, stu m ps, cutt ings and o th er vegetat ive propagat io n.

Addi t ional ly, w hen plant ing s ites are far f rom th e nu rsery, d i rect seeding

m ay be a m ore v iable tree establ ishm ent m eth od. Table 1 character izes

th ese ot her seedl ing product ion m eth ods. Technical in form ationregarding w ildl ings is pro vided in GOLD Project (1998) an d Poll isco (2006),

Oth er Seedl ing Produ ct ion M etho ds

29

Table 1. Oth er Seedl ing Produ ct ion M eth ods

Seedling Production

Opt ion

Species Charact er ist ics Com m ent s

Containerized

Seedling

Orth odox seed that us easy to

prop agate & readi ly avai lable

Appropr ia te fo r m ost si tua t ion

Wild l ings

Recalcitr ant seed, species wit h

i r regular seed prod uct ion

Care required w hen col lect ing

& handl ing col lect w i ld l ings;col lect o nly smal l w i ld l ing (10-

15cm in he ight )

Cutt ing/Vegetat ivePropagation

Propagation is possible fro m

roo ts, steam s or leaves;

Produ ces trees th at are

genet ically ident ical to m ot hert rees; appropr iate m ethods

vary greatly by species

St um ps Co m m on w it h t eak (Tectonia

grand is ) & gmel ina (Gmelina

arborea)

Appropr ia te when p lant ing

sites are f ar; cheap

estab l ishm ent m ethod

Direct Sow ing

Species th at establish q uicklyand successful ly com pete w i th

w ood and herbaceous w eeds

Requires large amo unt of seed;h igh mor t a li ty potent ial ;

appl icable on ly on goo d si tes


40/64

good inform ation regarding cut t ings or ot her vegetat ive propagat ion

m et ho ds in Yaacob and Sub hadraban dh u (1995) and Poll isco (2006).

Usefu l Ind on esian language vegetative prop agatio n nu rsery m anuals are

Prasto w o et a l (2006) and Purnom osidhi et a l (2007).

30


41/64

Cha pt er 4

NURSERY LINKAGES AND

DYNAM ICS

Tree nu rseries are no t stat ic and sol i t ary ent i t ies. The variou s t ypes of

nurser ies are interd ependent and m ainta in m any dynamic l inkages w i theach ot her and t he t ree plant ing/ reforestat ion sector. Those l inkages are

i l lustrated in Figure 1. At t he lef t of t he f igure, inst i t u t ional nurser iesare

depicted as being a main source of t he technolo gies, other inform ation,

and germ plasm th at f low to th e ot her t ypes of n urser ies. Serv ices,

inform ation, and m ater ia ls f rom inst i t u t iona l nurser iesare of t en

transferred th rough project nu rseriest o local nu rseries-group or

individ ual nurseries. Governm ent nurser ieshow ever m ay direct ly prov ide

technology, m ater ia l and f in ancia l supp ort to som e local nurser ies.

Research a nd industr ia l nu rseriesare main ly l inked w i th o t herinst i t ut ional nurser ies, and h ave l imi t ed direct in teract ion w i th local

nurseries. Project nur series, and th eir sup po rt organization s, are also a

pr im ary source of f inancia l and m ater ia l supp ort for t he establ ishm ent

and in i t ia l operat ion of local nu rser ies.

31


42/64

The r ight s ide of t he f igure show s th at group and indiv idual nu rser iesar e

not only th e recip ients of in form ation and resources, but a lso pro v ide a

back f low of inform ation, innovat ions, and germp lasm . Group and

individua l nurseriesare sho w n as having st ron g l inkages w ith m arkets as

im port ant source of seedl ings for pr ivate t ree plant ing and governm entreforestation activ i t ies. Project nur seriesalso sup ply reforestatio n and

tree plant ing act iv i t ies e i ther d i rect ly or t hrough local com m unit ies.

Governm ent a nd indu str ia l nurser iesare im port ant sources of seedl ings

for reforestat ion and t ree plant ing act iv i t ies ( f requent ly ver t ical ly

int egrated activ i t ies); and comm ercia l -or iented industr ia l nurser ieshave

st ron g l inks w ith seedling market s. These relat ionships sho w t hat al l

nursery types are imp ort ant inter l inked com pon ents of nat ional seedl ing

sup ply system s and refo restat ion p rogram s. Detai ls regardin g th e l inkages

bet w een nurser ies are prov ided below und er the to pics of : germp lasm ,technology and inform ation, f inancial and m ater ia l supp ort , seedl ing

m arkets and supp ort of reforestat ion p rograms, backf low of inform ation,

and nursery evolut ion .

Industr ial nu rseriesare a m ajor source of

germp lasm for a l l oth er nursery types.

They serve th is ro le in a num ber of

distinct w ays. First t hey screen andprom ot e species for t ree plant ing

act iv i t ies, of ten focusing on fast grow ing

exot ic species. The pr im ary pur po se of

t hese activ i t ies m ay be t he self- int erest

o f m aximizing the produc t ion o f b iom ass

for th eir in tegrated wo od indu str ies.

Addi t ional ly, qual i ty germ plasm is m ade

avai lable to ot her farm ers and ot her

land managers th rough out -grow erschem es. Quali ty germ plasm m ay also

be prov ided t o t he general publ ic , but

th is is no t a m ajor ro le. As high-qu ali ty germ palsm is always in sho rt

supp ly, the amou nts d ist r ibu t ed t hrough out -grower schem e and m ade

avai lable to th e general pub l ic m ay be l imi t ed. Operators of group and

individua l nurseriesoft en col lect germ plasm (seed and som etim es

natu ral regenerat ion) f rom industr ia l p lantat ion s. Those act iv i t ies are

of ten perm i t ted , i f no t o f f icial ly endorsed.

Governm ent nurser ies, of ten in col laborat ion w i th exten sion agencies orot her inst i t ut ional nu rser ies, del iberate ly prom ot e speci f ic species and

m ake germ plasm of t ho se species avai lable to ot her n urseries. Even after

a species has been w idely d issem inated int o local com m unit ies,

Germplasm

32


43/64

governm ent nu rser ies and th eir par tners m ay cont inue t o m ake

germp lasm of th e species avai lable to supp ort t ree plant ing act iv i t ies.

Project nur seriesdissem inate th e seed th ey receive from inst i t ut ional

nu rseries to gro up and in dividu al nu rseries. Project n urseries also helpdiversify t he species and germ plasm used local ly by screening and

prom ot ing species (par t icular ly indigenous species) th at m eet hou sehold

or m arket needs. M any group and indiv idual nurser iesa lso prom ote

indigeno us species and species diversity t o m eet h ou seho ld need s. They

propagate sm al l quant i t ies of m any species, of t en inc luding a bro ad

diversit y of bot h exot ic and ind igenous trees. Indigenou s species are

oft en col lected as w i ld l ings, m ainta ined in local nurser ies, and t hen m ade

avai lable to seedl ing m arkets and reforestat ion / tree plant ing pro gram s.

Germp lasm of th ese indigenous species f low s back to project and

inst i t ut ional nurser ies. W ith t im e, th e diversi ty and qual i ty of germ plasm

avai lable in p roject and local nu rser ies tend s to im prove.

M ost nursery technologies and

related inform ation or ig inate

from inst i t ut ional nurser ies.

The developm ent and t est ing of

nur sery t echno logies is t he

m ain object ive of research

nurser ies and an op erat ional

concern for in dustr ial nu rseries.

In general, inst i t ut ional

nur series freely share t heir

technolo gies and inform ation

w ith other nurser ies. Group

and in dividu al nurseries, usually

sm all-scale ent erpr ises w ith

l im i ted capi ta l and inf rastr ucture, are of ten unable t o ut i l ize th e latest

and m ost advanced technologies. Governm ent and pro ject n urser ies

oft en help to address th is si tuat ion b y developing general

recom m endat ion s for t he operat ion of nu rser ies at th e local level .

Successfu l group and in dividu al nurseries have a str on g abi l i ty t o adap t

and im prove ex ist ing techno logies to m eet t heir speci f ic needs. Group

and ind ividual nurseries freely share th eir techn ical innovatio ns and

exper ience ( local know ledge) wi t h ot her nu rser ies. In fact , m any

successfu l group an d ind ividual nu rseries serve as m ent ors to o th er localnurser ies and interested stakeholders. Governm ent and project n urser ies

m ay col lect detai ls on local nursery innovat ion s, not for u se in t heir ow n

Techn olo gy and

In fo rmat ion

33


44/64

faci l it ies, but to share wi t h farm ers and com m unit ies interested in

develop ing nurseries.

Dur ing their establ ishm ent phase, the f i rst few years of o perat ion, m ostgroup n urseries and m any individu al nurseries receive som e sort of

f inan cial and m aterial suppo rt (seedling cont ainers, to ols, fert i l izer, etc).

This supp ort is pr im ar i ly prov ided by pro ject nurser ies and is of ten a

m ain purp ose for t he pro jects ' existence. The fu nds for supp ort of local

nursery developm ent are prov ided by t he projects ' external dono rs.

Som e governm ent nurser ies a lso pro v ide m ater ia l supp ort to local

nurser ies, and m ay prov ide l im i ted am oun ts of f inancial supp ort in som e

cases. The fund s for t h is supp ort are a l located fro m th e m ot her

inst i tu t ion or central governm ent . There are also cases of localgovernm ents (prov incia l or m unic ipal) prov id ing direct suppo rt to local

nurser ies. After t he establ ishm ent p hase, many group and in div idual

nu rseries are largely self- f inan ced.

This is achieved th rou gh seedling

sales, pr ovid ing t echn ical servi ces,

recycl ing al l p ossible m aterials, and

limit ing cash expenditures.

In m ost countr ies seedl ing markets

are large, diverse and beyon d t he

direct contro l by any one ent i ty .

How ever, w here large or system atic

reforestat ion programs ex ist , t he

respon sib le governm ent agencies and program im plem enters

have a signif icant inf luence on species dem and, seedlingdem and, and germ plasm f low s. The pr im ary object ive of m any

governm ent nurser ies is to supp ort nat ion al reforestat ion and

ot her t ree plant ing program s. How ever at t he local level,

par t icular ly in ru ral or rem ote areas, group and indiv idual

nurser ies are of ten th e m ain source of t ree seedl ings and t hus

key supp ort ers of reforestat ion and t ree plant ing act iv i t ies. In

m any cases local nu rseries sel l seedlings to governm ent

agencies, contractors implementing reforestation activ i t ies, or

pr ivate com panies and ind iv iduals interested in t ree plant ing.Som et im es group o r individ ual nurseries op erate as qu asi-

governm ent o rganizat ions, com m itt in g near ly 100% of t he

Financial and M at er ia l Suppo rt

Seedl ing M arkets andSuppo rt of Reforesta t ion

Programs

1In situations where seedling

quality regulations exist local

nurseries often meet qualityspecifications, but are unableto complete the 'certification

process'. In these cases, localnurseries often provideseedlings to certifiedgovernment seedling supplierswho do not even operate anursery. These suppliers areonly middlemen adding costsand quality to the seedlings.Such restrictive regulationsserve only to distort seedling

pathways/markets, increaseprogram costs, and reduceseedling quality throughunnecessary handling.

34


45/64

1produ ct ion capaci ty to governm ent or cont racto r orders . To sum m arize,

in m any cases governm ent and lo cal nu rseries are key sup pliers of

seedl ings for n at ional reforestat ion and ot her t ree plant ing programs.

Industr ia l nurser ies indirect ly supp ort nat ion al reforestat io n pro gram by

establ ishing large plantat ion s as par t of th eir in tegrated w ood industr ies.Com m ercial-or ient ed ind ustr ial nurseries sel l large quant it ies of seedlings

to e nt erp rises and ind ividuals int erested in tr ee plant ing. This pro cess

also indirect ly sup po rt s reforestatio n effor t s. Project nurseries sup po rt

reforestat ion and tree plant in g program s direct ly and t hrou gh supp ort of

local com m unit ies.

Linkages bet w een nursery types are not o ne direct ional f rom inst i t ut ional

nu rseries to w ards local nu rseries. Group and ind ividual nurseries pro videfeedback on n ursery techno logy and infor m ation p ackages. Their

assessm ents, of t en inform al, are shared w i th project and governm ent

nursery spon sors, w ho in tu rn share th is inform ation w i th ot her

inst i tu t ional nur series and concern ed stakeho lders. Project nurseries also

prov ide t heir ow n feedback on technologies and inform ation packages to

insti t ut ional nurseries. Project , group and in dividu al nu rseries also

contr ibu te useful in for m ation regarding technical , t ra in ing and species

need s at t he local level. Add it io nally, successfu l grou p and ind ividual

nurser ies are a valuable source of in form ation regarding th e t echnical

inn ovatio ns t hat are appro priat e for sm all-scale local nurseries op eratin g

w ith n o or very l im ited f inancial resou rces. Those nu rseries can also

prov ide impor t ant gu idance on how to implem ent e f fect ive extension

and t ra in ing act iv i

Nurseries Sourcebook

Documents

Transcript of Nurseries Sourcebook